Baldwin and Craddock Map, 1833. Source: www.tomitronics.com

History

Photograph of 1832 Gold Lottery Land Lot booklet courtesy of Dr. Sara Harwood

Our neighborhood has been inhabited for thousands of years by Native Americans. The Apalachicola Creeks made Cobb County their home into the 1700’s and gave us local names like Chattahoochee and Kennesaw.

The Cherokee tribe drove the Creeks out of Cobb County but were soon displaced by white settlers, especially after gold was found in north Georgia in 1828. This led to their forced relocation, known as the infamous Trail of Tears.

The land that is now Waterford Green was awarded in 40-acre parcels during the state’s Gold Lottery of 1832. Our subdivision was part of the Second Section, District 1, Land Lots 225, 227, 228, 276, 277, and 278. Those designations first set out in 1832 remain part of legal descriptions of our property to this day.

Power Cabin

By the 1840’s, tax records confirm that Joseph Power, a veteran of the War of 1812, and his wife, Isabella, owned 250 acres from Willeo Creek to Johnson Ferry Road. Joseph’s family ran a ferry across the Chattahoochee at Power’s Ford, which was submerged in the early 20th century when Morgan Falls Dam was built.

Joseph and Isabella’s oldest son, Jim Power and his wife, Rosa, built a home on Lot 221 that still stands as the central structure of Hyde Farm. George Abner Power, Joseph and Isabella’s third son, married Winifred Copeland and built a home on Lot 217 known today as the Power Cabin at Hyde Farm. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, married Joseph Martin and built a home on Land Lot 214. While that structure no longer stands, the family cemetery, including Joseph and Isabella’s graves, remains.

Hyde Farm

The Civil War was a dark time for Cobb County, and the Power family suffered greatly. Three of Joseph and Isabella’s grandsons fought and died for the Confederacy. The land was overrun in 1864 first by the Confederates as they headed south from Kennesaw Mountain to protect Atlanta and then by the Union troops who pursued them.

Following the war, the Power family turned to tenant farmers to work the land. In 1874, Jim Power hired James Hyde, and that relationship lasted 22 years. His son, Jesse Hyde, Sr., purchased the Power property that we know today as Hyde Farm.

Atlanta Journal, November 5, 1989

The Hydes were prosperous farmers in the early part of the 20th century and bought additional land, including Lot 228, now part of Waterford Green.

From 1990 to 2004, the Trust for Public Land purchased tracts of land from the Hyde family. The Trust sold the land to the National Park Service and Cobb County, who cooperatively manage the property today with support from the Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society.

In the 1980s Stricklin Properties acquired land between Lower Roswell Road and the Chattahoochee National Forest and hired Chatham Properties to develop the Waterford Green subdivision. For the second time in recorded history, our land was awarded through a lottery system – this time to the builders who constructed our existing homes. Northside Realty was chosen to market the subdivision, calling it a “secluded oasis of perfection,” and the “most desirable residential tract in north Atlanta.”

Decades later, the developer’s dream for our beautiful subdivision has become a reality! We are a welcoming oasis for those who call Waterford Green home, with outstanding amenities, top schools, upscale shopping and dining, and world-class medical services just minutes from our door.

We would like to acknowledge the following individuals who provided invaluable information for this brief history:

  • Sara Harwood, Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society.
  • Tommy H. Jones, retired architectural historian, National Park Service.
  • Ruby Bowman, retired realtor, Northside Realty.