In the late summer of 2008, a small group of Indian Hills’ residents (Norm Mitchell, Becky Harrington, Andrea Good, Beth Roberts, and Mike Crowe) met to organize the History Committee. We were subsequently joined by Diane Stepp, Roger Phelps, Jim Sanders, and Evelyn Dwiggins. Numerous others have offered help and encouragement. Mike agreed to serve as facilitator; and began to compile a list of Early Residents still residing in Indian Hills. We defined Early Residents as those who acquired their lots during the first five years of development --- ending 12/31/1974.

We are presenting the history in four segments--- one with each issue of the Smoke Signals for September, October, November, and December. After the series is completed, it is hoped that copies will be assembled and made available for inclusion in the Newcomer Kits.

This first segment contains: the “Introduction” to the series by Mike; a reprint of “The Mary Witt Article” [with pictures of Mary – then and now]; Maps showing points of Interest and some photographs from our past by Becky. Norm, aided by Jim and Mike, conducted a number of Early Resident interviews. Then he wrote the narrative for the second segment (“Early Resident Memories --- and What’s Happening Now”), which includes a summary of those responses. Diane prepared the written material for the third segment (“Development of Indian Hills”) The fourth segment was drafted by Evelyn (“Indian Hills Civic Association”), and Norm (“Indian Hills Country Club”).

Becky headed the sub-committee that prepared this history for publication; served as the repository for bringing the various segments together; accumulated the maps, photos, and other material that adds zest to our project; and coordinated (ably assisted by John Steinheimer) the layout and printing of the four installments.

Roger researched the feasibility of preparing a more thorough history. It was the group’s consensus that such an undertaking involved more time than our current committee was willing to provide – and required far greater financial commitments than we thought feasible.

Jim Rhoden and the Indian Hills Country Club have graciously offered to provide and maintain a site in the Club where we can store and display IH artifacts (i.e. Directories – Smoke Signals – newspaper & magazine articles about IH – pictures – other memorabilia) as gathered. Roger and Norm were instrumental in bringing this about.

Andrea Good has served us well as secretary for the Indian Hills History Committee. I want to thank all the people mentioned above for the hours they devoted to the individual projects and the group. Their participation has contributed greatly to our endeavor. We have opted to call this compilation “The Story of Indian Hills”. Our purpose has been to present the essence of our community; along with some recorded events. We recognize each of us has our own perception of truth; based on individual experiences, cultural background, and environment. Therefore, we have not limited ourselves to irrefutable facts. We trust that you will be pleased with the results.

The following article is adapted from a history project done in 1973 by Mary Witt, while living on Sentry Crossing and attending the 7th Grade at East Cobb Middle School. Mary won the Cities and Towns Award of ‘the Georgia Municipal Association at the Cobb Regional Science Fair with her historical essay and accompanying pictorial display. Mary is now married --- living with her husband and son in Jupiter, FL. Her folks – Doug and Virginia - live in Roswell.

The old cemeteries give most of the clues to the past. William L. Bishop (1823-1905) is buried among the 18 graves in the family cemetery beside Indian Hills Parkway. The oldest headstone is that of his wife, Kiziah, (1823-1894). Two graves have no dates and three are unmarked. Also buried there are William’s sons, their wives, and descen- dants. Joseph M. Bishop (1845-1918) served in the Georgia Militia in the Civil War, as did Ben H. Bishop (1849-1929) who was Second Lieutenant of the Roswell Guards and was wounded at Manassas. The latest grave is that of Charles E. Fridell (1886-1970) beside that of his wife, Rosa Bishop Fridell (1893-1932). Beside Upper Roswell Road, at the end of Fielding Way, is the Tritt family cemetery. William Tritt (1820-1906) and his wife, Emily (1823-1891) established a pioneer farm to the north. A descendant, Odessa Tritt Lassiter (1880-1948) lived in a log house built by her husband. It stood between Sentry Crossing and High Green Place, and was owned and occupied by Mrs. Iris Ward [until a fire destroyed the home and caused her death in the late 1980s].

In early July 1864, while Sherman’s forces were pushing Johnston’s troops back from Kennesaw Mountain, Union Cavalry ranged through this area. They burned the paper mill on Sope Creek near the present Atlanta Country Club and later burned the cotton and woolen mills at Roswell. General John Schofield sent his corps across the Chattahoochee at the mouth of Sope Creek, in a flanking attack to begin the Battle of Atlanta. The ruins of the paper mill and surrounding scenic area became a popular place for picnics. Their preservation caused a major delay in construction of the Sope Creek sewer line, which eventually had to be tunneled through the rock. This, in turn, caused some delay in construction of homes in Indian Hills.

Sope Creek, winding through the homes and fairways of present-day Indian Hills, is a reminder of the area’s past. In her book, “The First Hundred Years”, published in 1935, Sarah Temple describes the origin of its name: “Out on Roswell Road, about halfway between Marietta and Roswell, the new settlers could see the cabins of several Indian families. One of these cabins was occupied by Old Sope who had lived there for so long that a creek and a branch were named for him. Old Sope was a kindly person and little boys liked him so much that they ran away from home to visit him. He would tell them stories and teach them Cherokee words. Although a full-blooded Cherokee, Old Sope managed to remain in Cobb after the Indians emigrated, and such were his relations with his youthful white neighbors that he has left a pleasant memory to this day.

 Map Information from 1973 Project Board          -Mary Witt

The farms:

I. Gray farm

II. Bishop farm

III. Clark farm

IV. Dickerson farm

V. Haney farm

The following landmarks were originally shown along with the photos on facing page:

A. East Side Elementary School

B. Bishop family Cemetery

C. Sope Creek

D. Home of woman who was first interviewed (forgot name, she led me to Roger Thompson)

E. Indian Hills subdivision entrance sign in 1973

F. Zoning notice for undeveloped land (caption : What is the future of this land?)

G. Iris Ward’s home (formerly Lassiter home) H. Civil war trench wall (on Sentry Crossing)

I. Trees around site of old Gray Barns (with new home) J. Bishop Creek (by the golf course 11th hole)

K. Roger Thompson’s home (source of the information on the map)

Other points of interest indicated on the map from the interview of Roger Thompson [Mary interviewed him in 1973 as a part of her project]:

1. Old Bill Dickerson House

2. Old Bill Dickerson Tenant House

3. Old Clarance Bishop House

4. Gray Barns (photo of trees at location)

5. Preston Farmhouse and House

6. Bishop Cemetery (also in photo)

7. Indian Mound

8. Bishop Spring

9. Blacksmith shop

10. Bishop Mill

11. Dr. Oliver’s House

12. Old Schoolhouse

13. Newt Haney House

14. Lassiter House (photo -- later, Iris (Mrs. Harvey) Ward Home)

15. Churn & Barrel Factory

Methodology: Early Residents were identified through courthouse records, property deeds and IHCA member lists. Forty two couples or individuals were interviewed by Norm Mitchell, Mike Crowe and Jim Sanders. Sixteen of these moved to Indian Hills from metro Atlanta and twenty six moved into the development from out-of-state. We attempted to be as inclusive as possible, but after 42 meetings, we felt we had reached the point of diminishing returns. These residents seem to tell us the same things and shared many of the same memories, so it was decided that we stop with the interviews and begin capturing their stories for this phase of the History Project.

Who were interviewed? The name(s), address and month/year moved to Indian Hills follow:

Greta Abbott, 488 Indian Hills Trail, 12/’73

Neal & Joan Allen, 766 Fairfield Drive, 2/’73

Nesta Banko, 663 Lakeview Trail, 2/’72

George Bartelme, 3890 Valley Green Drive, 1/’73*

Dan & Barbara Berman 3769 Clubland Drive 5/’70

Bob & Diane Bowman, 391 Ridgewater Drive, 8/71

Charlie Bragg, 3933 Sentry Crossing, 9/’70

Scotti Brandt, 3680 High Green Drive, 2/’72

John & Peg Cable, 3765 Creekstone Way, 1/’72

Bob & Theresa Clifford, 816 Indian Hills Parkway

Gwen Collins, 3580 High Green Drive, 10/’71

Sheila Cronkright, 3611 Clubland Terrace, 6/’71

Andy Dovin, 838 Indian Hills Parkway, 7/70

Phoebe Etheredge, 3759 Clubland Trail, 5/70*

Fox & Kelly Ferrell, 610 Clubwood Court, 7/’71

Dick & Betty Fuller, 937 Indian Hills Parkway, ‘70

Lucy George, 580 Ridgewater Drive, 7/’71

Mack & Caroline Googe, 381 Ridgewater Drive, 8/’71

Hugh Gordon, 3523 Clubland Drive, 3/’74

Ron & Tina Hardee, 1128 Fielding Way, 10/’72

Mardi Hoofnagel, 3631 Clubland Drive, 7/’72

Bob & Dottie Huckeba, 3753 Clubland Trail, 7/’70

Henry Izard, 583 Indian Hills Parkway, 1/’71

Carol Lade, 1149 Fairfield Drive, 8/’72,

Tom & Jackie McCormick, 621 Valley Green Trace, 3/’72

Jim McEvoy, 3628 Robinson Road, 8/’72

Bob & Marge McGee, 711 Indian Hills Parkway, 9/’72

Judy McWhorter, 4291 Fairgreen Lane, 5/’70

Norm & Peg Mitchell, 560 Fairgreen Lane, 4/’70

Neva Olson, 4037 Fawn Place, prior 4260 Fairgreen Drive, 3/’72

Jim & Marti Papp, 4210 Fairgreen Drive, 9/’75

Maureen Ringler, 3755 Creekstone Way, 6/’72

Jim & Sharon Sanders, 3735 Creekstone Way, 6/’72

Bill & Roberta Stephens, 3945 Sentry Crossing, 4/’70

Laura Vogel Stephens, 3750 Creekstone, 6/’71

Richard & Jane Thio, 1001 Clubland Court, 6/’72

Kay Todd, 570 Fairgreen Lane, 4/’70

Jim & Sue Trapnell, 3910 Sentry Walk 7/’72

Ginny Trautwein, 3800 High Green Point, 11/’72

Al Waldron, 3816 Clubland Drive, 4/’74

Preston Williamson, 4270 Fairgreen Drive, 8/’70

Those marked by an * no longer reside in I.H.

Stories and Memories from the early days of Indian Hills.

The natural beauty of the area, its rural feeling and the environs constituted some of the most beautiful countryside in the area... Picturesque, meandering streams, dense natural vegetation, gentle rolling hills and natural rock outcroppings combine to create a nature lover’s dream-come-true. This factor combined with the amenities offered by Indian Hills Country Club were the two predominant reasons given by the “early settlers” as their primary motivation for buying into the subdivision.

Many residents remember the small private airport that once existed on the site of Parkaire Landing and the one lane bridge that crossed the Chattahoochee from Sandy Springs. There was a covered bridge over Sope Creek on Lower Roswell. Many of the roads were unpaved and in the earliest days Indian Hills Parkway was only partially paved from Lower Roswell Road to Fairgreen Drive. Shoppers had to trek into Marietta or Sandy Springs to do their grocery shopping—a far cry from today as East Cobb has grown and expanded. Shopping now is abundant and the choices plentiful.

When Parkaire was first developed it was a 2 story enclosed mall with an ice skating rink on the main level. It also included a restaurant upstairs, The Beef and Burgundy, which was fine dining and offered residents a close and easily accessible place without driving to Atlanta or Marietta.

The Indian Hills lifestyle was also appealing. “Everyone knew each other and their children and the kids played throughout the neighborhood”. The Club was a social focal point for summertime pool parties and special events. Golf and tennis were also popular (as they still are today) and as the neighborhood grew, various associations also began to form around special interest groups within the neighborhood and the club.

The quality of schools was also a major draw, but the rapid growth of I.H. caused overcrowding in the schools and some outside discontent that Indian Hills was to blame. The Indian Hills Civic Association was formed in the early seventies and the first six presidents of the IHCA. They were *Bob Bowman, Bob Creekmore (now deceased), *Norm Mitchell, *Phoebe Etheredge, Mark Klein (whereabouts unknown) and *George Bartelme. Those marked with an * represents those interviewed. All residents were members of the Civic Association and meetings were attended in large numbers. Meetings were held at Eastside School cafeteria and later at the middle school auditoriums at East Cobb or Dickerson.

The subdivision was also a magnet for politicians. One of our current U.S. Senators, Johnny Isakson, made his first run for Cobb County Commissioner in 1974 and campaigned heavily in the neighborhood. He lost that election and one of the persons we interviewed showed us coffee mugs, he was given at the time by now Senator Isakson that read: “The greatest victories in life are the friendships made and the friendships kept. For your friendship and support, Thank you!”

The first two residents of Indian Hills were Harry and Virginia Young who resided at 4261 Fairgreen Drive, now living in Florida, and Rufus and Sandra Guthrie (both now deceased) lived at 4750 Clubland Drive. Both moved to IH in the late fall/winter of 1969. Norm and Peg Mitchell who live at 560 Fairgreen Lane are now recognized as the longest couple living in the same house, since 4/1/70. They remember being the 7th or 8th family to move into Indian Hills, but job transfers or moving to other neighborhoods took their predecessors out of the subdivision.

We did discover one family ( Bob & Theresa Clifford) that watched the development evolve and grow around them. They lived on Gray Road (which is now Indian Hills Parkway) in a rental home from 1959-1967 and they currently live at 816 Indian Hills Parkway. The Clifford’s remember unpaved roads, a very rural area with crop fields, livestock, chickens and a horse barn on the land that proceeded the development of IH. They indicated that the hill on Gray Road from the small family cemetery was very steep and when the Parkway was paved, the grade became much more gradual than it was then. “Indian Hills has been a great place to live and we really love having a paved road in front of the house.”

IBM, Coca-Cola, Bell South, Equifax and Lockheed were the predominant employers of the early residents. Property Covenants were in place in the early years which strictly controlled what residents could and could not do with their homes. When they expired, a committee of past IHCA presidents petitioned to get new covenants established. There was a quirk in the law that if you signed you were obligated to adhere to the standards. For those who did not sign, the covenants would not be binding on the homeowner and because of this, the new covenants initiative failed. Several of our interviewees, felt that covenants would be worth attempting again to protect both the looks and longer range property values of the community.

Peter Mitchell who was active as External Affairs Chair for the IHCA along with George Bartelme, then IHCA President, worked with Cobb County officials to have Indian Hills designated as its own Street Light District. This was in 1977-8 when Cousins Properties had sold off their stake in the land to Continental Illinois Bank and we were at-risk of losing the streetlights. For all of you who wonder why you pay a street light assessment on your Cobb County Water bill; this is the reason. Neal and Joan Allen early residents who were also active in the Civic Association, led an effort to put up a fence around the Club pool and stop signs along Fairfield Drive. The IHCA led the effort to establish an off-duty security patrol by Cobb County police officers.

While a history of the civic association will be included in a separate chapter, this information is included here because it vividly tells the story of how early residents were active in the issues impacting the community. Many of which, we now take for granted. These things just didn’t happen, activists in the community made them happen!

The Second Generation now comprises some of our residents.

Charlie Bragg who moved into Indian Hills in 9/’70 was transferred to Philadelphia by Equifax in 1974. He was promoted back to Atlanta in 1979 and purchased his 2nd Indian Hills home at 3952 Sentry Walk within a “stone’s throw” of his original residence. He has an adult son who also lived in the subdivision. But his son’s house was on the market, at the time of our interview, due to a pending move to Hilton Head. There are several instances children who were raised here, returned as adults. When Laura Vogel Stephens parent’s, Art and Carol Vogel retired, she purchased their home and is currently living in the home in which she was raised.

Mike O’Neil, the son of Brian and Sue O’Neil, lives on Summit Drive with his wife and young children. He was raised on Greystone Trace. David Cutter, son of Doug & Marcia Cutter recently bought a home on High Green Drive for his family. It is across the street 11from the house in which he was raised.

Greg and Karen Tobin, 795 Fairfield Drive have two daughters, Kristin and Kirsten, who lay claim to IH as well. Kristin and Charlie Nesbitt live on High Green Place and Kirsten and Paul McClellan own and are renting out a condo on Chantilly Place, while they now live in nearby Stratford Village. The Halseth family is another family we discovered with an adult child residing in IH. Jack and Venies’ son, Jon was raised at 3353 Greenfield Drive. Jon now lives with his wife, Mary Ann and their children at 345 Briarwood Court.

Kyle Merrigan and his wife Annie live with their two sons at 703 Indian Hills Parkway. He is the son of Gene and Joan Merrigan who originally lived at 3615 High Green Drive after they moved to IH in June of 1971. The family moved to Powers Road in ‘82. Kyle bought his present home one year ago and has done some extensive remodeling. Vern Hakes, son of Bob and Frances Hakes now lives in the home that housed his parents at 3621 Clubland Terrace. Tammy Martin of 745 Indian Hills Parkway now lives in the house once owned by her parents, Ben and Ann Bolt.

We apologize if there are others that we have not discovered. The 2nd “Geners” speak volumes to the IHCA theme “Indians Hills-A Great Place to Live!” The “2nd Geners” are all enthusiastic about IH .”It’s like a small town and represents what real life is all about. I just love this neighborhood” one of them told us.

Home Renovations and Updates have been Crucial to Indian Hills.

Without exception, all our “Early Residents” have made significant improvements and enlarged their homes over the years. As Indian Hills looks to its 40th anniversary, this should come as no surprise. Residents have a strong pride in the neighborhood. Renovations include room additions, kitchen and bath re-dos, decks, sunrooms, finished basements and other improvements. In recent years there has been a spate of tear downs replaced by “mega- mansions”. “We have witnessed the stability of the club, Indian Hills has become a strong neighborhood and the IHCA has done a great job!”

Recapping the Early Memories.

“Everyone was new, our families were young, and we had lots in common with our neighbors, most were young professionals and people were very congenial”. “The lots were larger than most other subdivisions. The children were safe and could roam to their hearts content”. “The original home values appreciated rapidly, then leveled off for a while. As homeowners began to renovating, values increased again and now with the influx of the new million dollar homes, it appears (that once we get through the current recession) these will enhance the long-term value of our community.” “The community helped save The Hyde Farm and helped build East Cobb Park with matching funds from IH Country Club”. “East Cobb won the Little League World Series in 1983 and many of those team members lived in IH.”

Horrific Weather also Remembered.

Early residents all remembered the February 1973 Ice Storm and how their neighbors “pulled together”. Most utilities were out....no electricity and the natural gas was either off or the pressure so low that hot air furnaces would not turn on. No one had heat, other than fireplaces, or the means to cook in the conventional manner. Friends got together at a neighbor’s who was well-stocked with wood, prepared collective meals and shared resources to pull themselves through the storm. There was also a tornado that blew through parts of Indian Hills in the mid-70’s that did a fair amount of damage and knocked over the trees that survived the earlier ice storm. The tornado has tested the mettle of these early residents. But these “pioneers” would live in no other neighborhood.

“The friendships and neighborly feel of our wooded enclave is like no place else in Cobb County”.

The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution 12/19/1996 Expired covenants worry homeowners

Cathy Cleland-Pero STAFF WRITER Cobb

When Indian Hills subdivision was started in 1969, protective covenants had a 20-year limit. Now the east Cobb community and others built in the residential building boom of the early 1970s are learning that when covenants expire, there’s no protection from community nonconformists.

“To say you can’t paint your house purple with pink polka dots sounds silly, but in this day and age, there’s somebody that’s going to do that,” said Martha Gray, president of the Indian Hills Civic Association. What’s more, once a covenant expires, only those approving the new covenant must abide by it, said Atlanta attorney Seth Weissman, whose firm represents homeowners’ associations throughout metropolitan Atlanta.

The lack of a protective covenant in Indian Hills, an upscale subdivision of about 1,600 homes off Roswell Road in east Cobb, has raised fears, said Hope Taylor-Epstein, who chairs the Indian Hills committee drafting a new covenant.

“We’re all concerned about what’s going to be built if something burns down,” she said.

An earlier effort to interest Indian Hills homeowners in a new set of covenants failed.

Although it may not have been the case with Indian Hills, drafting new or replacement covenants can be dangerous.

“What sometimes happens is when communities try to have their covenants continued on, they try to add restrictions that weren’t there to begin with,” said Weissman. “That is not the time for a lot of creativity.”

Before 1993, all covenants had a 20-year life. The law changed in 1993 to allow covenants to remain in effect indefinitely unless homeowners voted to dissolve them.

Those subdivisions with 20-year covenants can amend them before they expire to extend their life indefinitely, said Weissman.

King’s Cove subdivision, off Lower Roswell Road across from Indian Hills Parkway in east Cobb, has been without a covenant for five years.

“Right now, we’re using the Cobb County code enforcement divisions to help us if there is something that is a big problem,” said Betsy Reynolds, one of the original homeowners. “We have been trying very hard to keep peer pressure on people ---that is about all we can do at this point.”

They have turned to the county for removal of junk cars, illegally erected satellite dishes and home businesses that did not have special- use permits.

King’s Cove is about to begin a campaign to create a mandatory homeowners’ association. Then, in a few years, they’ll try for approval of covenants.

Without covenants, there is no way to enforce architectural controls. Without a mandatory homeowner’s association, there’s no way to require homeowners to shoulder responsibility for community upkeep. Indian Hills, for example, has a voluntary, fee-charging association, with 75 percent of the homeowners as members.

King’s Cove ran into financial problems when a dam on the subdivision lake had to be replaced. Because it has no mandatory, fee-charging homeowners association, two homeowners assumed responsibility for the $150,000 in repairs with the hope of being repaid.

“We have had a fund-raising drive that has been going on for five years,” Reynolds said.

Willow Point, built in 1976, has become a model for many east Cobb subdivisions wanting to move from a voluntary to a mandatory homeowner’s association.

Seventy-five percent of the homeowners in the subdivision, off Lower Roswell east of Johnson Ferry Road, agreed to membership, meaning the deeds to those properties always will require membership. Those who opted out do not have that deed requirement.

In a mandatory homeowner’s association, common in most newly constructed subdivisions, homeowners sign a quitclaim deed that their home is part of the homeowner’s association. This allows the association to place a lien on the property if association dues are not paid.

Willow Point renewed its covenants four years ago, said Mike Disser, association president, then initiated the campaign to become a mandatory homeowner’s association.

“It took 22 months of fighting and planning,” Disser said.

                            PARKAIRE FIELD                                         By Becky Harrington                    BeckyRHarrington@bellsouth.net

The following brief history was put together using the information from the website referenced above as well as a collection of newspaper clippings gathered from the AJC archives.

Parkaire Field was built in the mid-40s. It was owned and operated by Walter & Kitty Nix. There were 2 dirt runways in the early days: a 2200 foot runway and an 1800 foot cross-runway with a large tree partly obstructing the south approach.

A 1960 aerial map depicts a single 2200 foot paved runway running SE 120 degrees to NW 300 degrees; as well as a parallel taxiway on the north side leading to a long ramp. The runway ran parallel with Davidson Road which was the entry point to the airfield. A total of seven buildings were situated on the north side of the ramp.

By 1972 Walt Nix had sold the airport and it closed later that year.

In 1974, Parkaire Field was replaced by Parkaire

Mall; built by Cobb developer, John Williams. It featured an ice skating rink in the middle of the shopping area and the Parkaire Twin Theater. Parkaire Mall lasted only 12 years before it was torn down in favor of a newer, bigger mall.

In 1986, Parkaire Mall was demolished and replaced with a larger $14-million strip shopping center: Parkaire Landing. The ice skating rink was moved to a separate building to the rear of the center now known as Marietta Ice Center or simply MIC to locals.

The Sparkles Roller Rink was built in the mid- ‘80s by the Couley family who also owns roller rinks in Kennesaw and Hiram. The East Cobb location had been in operation for over 20 years. It is now the home of Trilogy: a restaurant and bar featuring live entertainment along with an “upscale casual” menu.

The latest news? Cobb County is negotiating with the owners of Parkaire Landing for a new home for the Merchant Walk branch library. The county has agreed to sell the current library for $1.6 million and will leave their current home of the end of 2009.

By the mid-1960s when developer Tom Cousins turned his sights on east Cobb County’s undeveloped farmland for his vision of a golf course community outside the perimeter, Atlanta’s population was booming. Court-ordered school busing now underway in the city of Atlanta helped fuel a growing market for suburban residential housing further into the northern suburbs.

The completion of I-285, I-75 and I-85 made access to jobs in the city convenient. Jobs themselves were pushing further north with development of the Cumberland Mall and Perimeter Mall areas as beginning business nodes. Lockheed was a major employer. Many of our early residents were IBM, Lockheed and Monsanto Chemical managers and executives.

It was only at the beginning of the decade that Marietta had been added to metro Atlanta’s telephone calling area, a sure sign that this once rural farmland was gaining stature as part of the larger regional Atlanta metropolitan area. Urban sprawl was taking its first tentative steps across the Chattahoochee River. Tom Cousins, though dubious at first, was leading the charge.

By this time, Cousins, still in his 30s, was already the largest home builder in Georgia, according to an article in the Dec. 7, 2006, edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That had mostly been in the Augusta area where Cousins got his start building prefabricated homes, said Hal Adams, an early Cousins team member who helped develop Indian Hills. Seeking a larger market, Cousins moved his operation to Atlanta, initially building apartments.

The distinction of being the largest home builder in the state didn’t take much, only 300 houses, Cousins was quoted as saying. Indian Hills alone would soon outstrip that number five fold.

Cousins went on to make his fortune in the 1970-1990s while building huge Atlanta developments such as the CNN building, the Omni Coliseum, and 191 Peachtree Tower. North Point Mall was built on his land.

But before he would change the Atlanta skyline, Cousins was planning Indian Hills on a grand scale, the first golf course community outside the perimeter that would become what many consider the heart of east Cobb. By 1968 Cousins was officially in the business of developing Indian Hills. The vision called for 1,000 single-family residential lots and 250 condo units on 1,150 acres. Some 350 additional acres would be added by 1973. More would come.

County records show an Affidavits of Business filed by Cousins Properties, Inc. in October of 1968 as “conducting a business on Gray Road (later renamed Indian Hills Parkway ) and Lower Roswell Road... under the name of Indian Hills Country Club. . .for the operation and management of a golf course and country club. Also, for Indian Hills subdivision “for real estate development, construction, operation and management.”

Phase I consisted of 532 acres.

A plat map filed with Cobb County June 13, 1969, shows the initial beginnings of the subdivision in Phase I. Indian Hills’ first entryway was off Lower Roswell Road onto Indian Hills Parkway. Lots were laid out along Fairgreen Drive and Fairgreen Lane. The Parkway extended as far as Adams’ house at 565 Indian Hills Parkway, he said. On the west side of the parkway, lots were laid out along Clubland Drive and Clubland Trail. No houses were to be built facing Lower Roswell Road, the map stipulated. Lots in Phase I sold for about $7,000.

Initially, one-acre lots were planned, but an economic downturn in the late 1960s threatened the fledgling project. Additional funds were needed to complete the clubhouse. Cousins’ financial partner, Ford Motor Credit, wasn’t confident enough that the experimental subdivision in what some viewed as the “the middle of nowhere” was viable enough to loan the money. That meant scaling back the overall lot sizes by 25 percent and cutting the size of the planned clubhouse in half to raise the needed capital, said Adams.

In the beginning Indian Hills was not a sure thing. “It was experimental. We were testing the market,” Adams said. According to Adams, he and Ben Selman, another Cousins point man on the Indian Hills project, convinced Cousins it was a risk worth taking. Adams said he had first spied the acreage from his plane which he flew out of the airfield at what is now Parkaire Landing at Johnson Ferry and Lower Roswell Roads.

The property, he said, wasn’t encumbered with rail- road tracks, rivers or other natural barriers. It was wide open for development as a mammoth subdivision, with much more potential than a proposed upscale project Cousins had directed he and Selman to explore in the Nancy Creek area off I-75. “That may have been a 200 or 300-house project, but we convinced Cousins that the Indian Hills land could be three or four times that size,” said Adams.

At first Cousins’ reservations that people were not ready to move to “the middle of nowhere” with no nearby shopping and limited road access seemed justified.

“Sales were kind of slow at first,” said Adams who was with Cousins from 1968 to 1971. Finding builders willing to come out this far was a challenge, he said. “We’d go out and find them and drive them out here. They’d ask, ‘Where are you taking me?’”

As lawsuits were filed over mandatory school desegregation in Atlanta and forced busing to balance racial enrollment became a reality, sales picked up. “That really kicked it off,” said Adams.

“One Saturday in November or December of 1969 we had so many people lined up there were traffic cops on Lower Roswell Road. Ninety percent of them were from Fulton County. We had a girl go out there and look at the car tags. At times, people were signing contracts on each other’s backs,” he said.

As Phase I filled up, Phase II quickly followed a year later. An April 14, 1970, plat map shows more lots under development along Indian Hills Parkway from Fairgreen Drive to Clubland Drive. This would include Clubview Terrace, Pine Point Trace, Sentry Walk, Sentry Crossing , two lots west on High Green Drive and two lots west on Clubland Drive.

Some unique marketing strategies helped boost sales in that area. Borrowing from a marketing strategy Cousins had employed in apartment development, another area of 50 to 60 lots near the golf course on and off Indian Hills Drive were set aside for special marketing to buyers looking for a quiet area without children. Many large ranch style homes in the area along Indian Hills Drive, Redding Trace and Weather- field Terrace appealed to retirees.

Real estate sales and marketing was handled by Sonny Bonner, president of Bonner Real Estate Co., out of a small building on the west corner of Indian Hills Parkway and Lower Roswell Road.

Water and sewerage treatment were critical to the subdivision’s growth. Cousins initially built a temporary sewerage treatment facility to serve Indian Hills until county pipelines could be extended to east Cobb, according to Selman. The temporary sewerage facility was built at the lowest point in the subdivision in a meadow near the banks of Sope Creek off Indian Hills Drive. The location is now just off the fifth hole of Cherokee, Adams said. It was never intended to serve the entire subdivision but would suffice until the county could reach the area with water and sewerage lines. It was operational for about two years.

The sewerage was treated, dried and collected about every five or six weeks. It was added to the soil on the golf course as a fertilizer, said Adams. Today the old treatment tanks are still buried under ground at that site, he said.

The first county sewer line followed Sope Creek and the low-lying golf course. A vent shaft that allows steam to escape from the pipeline can be seen near the second hole of Cherokee golf course off Greenfield Drive. Excavation dirt from the pipeline was used to raise the golf course’s second green, Adams said.

Development along the northern portion of Indian Hills Parkway was held up as the county wanted to bring the second line in off Ga. 120 (Upper Roswell Road) and expensive pumping facilities were needed, Adams recalled.

Adams credits former Cobb Commission Chairman Ernest Barrett’s foresight in applying for newly avail- able federal money to local governments for growth stimulus for setting the stage in the 1960s. The money was to be used to build infrastructure such as sewerage treatment plants. And Barrett built them.

A 65-foot diameter pipeline connecting Fulton County’s Big Creek wastewater treatment plant on Ga. 120 in Roswell with south Cobb’s R. L. Sutton plant lies buried 200 to 250 feet beneath Indian Hills subdivision, Adams said.

“It was very controversial at the time. People were afraid it might collapse or blow up.”

Housing pushed further west along Clubland Drive in Phase III taking in Clubwood Trail, Clubwood Court, Ridgewater Drive and Clubland Terrace on the west side of Clubland by October 1970.

Indian Hills was growing, attracting young families with children in need of more classroom space, a gymnasium and additional facilities at East Side Elementary. In 1971, Indian Hills Properties, Ltd., and Indian Hills, Inc. sold a tract of land (approximately 15 acres estimates Adams) on the Roswell-Marietta Highway (Ga. 120) and Indian Hills Parkway to the Cobb County Board of Education for $10.

Adams said this was land behind and to the west of the school, allowing the campus to grow with the addition of a gym and more classroom space. The original design of Clubland Drive behind the school was shifted, allowing only one row of houses facing it. It had originally been laid out further north, closer to the current school, with houses to be built on both sides of it.

East Side Elementary had opened 19 years earlier, in 1952, replacing a two-room schoolhouse known as Mt. Bethel School at the northwest intersection of Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Roads. On opening, East Side was housed in a single building of 10 classrooms, according to a history provided by the school.

According to the school’s account, two classrooms were added in 1957, four in 1962 and four more in1965, in addition to a new wing of 11 classrooms a kitchen and cafeteria.

The old cafeteria and kitchen were remodeled to be- come the media center. A modular hall of six class- rooms added in 1986 further expanded the school. In 1975, some 1100 students were enrolled. The opening of Murdock Elementary in 1975-76 relieved enrollment pressures that had spilled over into portable classrooms at East Side. Enrollment dropped to 800 with the opening of Murdock.

According to the school’s history, for six months in 1978-79, East Side and Murdock shared the same facilities awaiting the opening of Mt. Bethel Elementary.

The community around the school was growing with more subdivisions springing up. Indian Hills continued to expand. By 1972, the subdivision was ready for its next growth spurt taking in Fairfield Drive and Fielding Way.

In that year, Cousins acquired 300 additional acres adjacent to the original development and built a third nine-hole golf course and developed 350 residential lots.

It was on its way in the 1970s and 1980s to mega subdivision status. By 1975, the subdivision included Indian Hills Townhouses, Phase I, taking in Argonne Place, Audubon Drive and Pritchard Place.

West of the parkway, a large tract came under the Indian Hills umbrella including Creek Stone Way, Stone Edge Court, High Green Drive, Creek Stone Court, and High Green Point. Clubland Drive was extended past Creek Stone Way.

The next growth spurt by 1979 encompassed Indian Hills Trail, Creekview Drive, Timberwood Terrace, Brookcliff Trace, Winding Creek Court and Rock- wood Court.

Fawn Ridge, Fawn Way and some lots facing Audubon Drive came in 1982 along with “The Muirfields,” formerly Pinecrest II. That included Muirfield Lane, Muirfield Trace, Muirfield Trail, Muirfield Ridge, Audubon Drive, and Muirfield Drive. Eight more lots on Fairfield extending east from Indian Hills Parkway became part of the subdivision in 1983.

Then as now, the centerpiece of the development was the Indian Hills Country Club and golf course, designed by noted golf course architect Joe Lee. Lee designed the initial 18-hole course which opened for play in the fall of 1969. Today the 243-acre golf course has grown to 27 holes and includes a driving range, practice putting green and chipping green. Among the country club’s amenities are eight tennis courts and three swimming pools. At first, country club membership came with the sale of a home.

In 1975 ownership of Indian Hills Country Club was sold to a bank lender. Jim Rhoden formed a limited partnership of investors to purchase the Club. In 1978, the Club was purchased by a local private Club management company headed by Rhoden.

Indian Hills was a master planned community. Cous- ins enlisted experts such as architect Hans Woldrich of Austria to carry out his vision. Woldrich “mixed and matched houses – ranches, split levels and two- story traditionals so their roof lines blended together,” recalled Selman. Winding roads and the subdivisions’ original covenants calling for earth toned colors for the houses added to the harmony of the community with its natural setting. It was a popular look of the era.

Brick houses weren’t allowed initially, said Adams. Woldrich personally approved builders’ designs and saw to it that lots were appropriately landscaped. “Some developers got their backs up at a six and a half foot-tall ‘Swede’ telling them what they could and couldn’t do,” recalls Adams.

The subdivisions original covenants have since expired.

Indian Hills Parkway was curved to skirt the Bishop family cemetery, at the corner of Indian Hills Parkway and Sentry Crossing.

Sentry Crossing takes its name from the Civil War era. As Union troops drew nearer to capturing Atlanta in 1864, a group encamped there as a sentry outpost as they scouted a likely Chattahoochee River crossing point at Johnson Ferry, said Selman. The Cherokee golf course takes its name the tribe which once lived on, cultivated and hunted the land before being forced to Oklahoma on the “Trail of Tears.” Geography inspired many names such as Fairfield, and features such as the clubhouse. The girls in Cousins offices came up with many of the street names, said Adams.

Today, Indian Hills is home to an estimated 5,500 residents. “What we built,” said Adams, “is a small city.”

The original 18 eighteen holes of the golf course were built in 1968-69 and the golf course was completed before the earliest residents moved into the development in late ‘69. When construction on the Club House was started in 1969, the pro shop was located in a trailer adjacent to the practice tee. The Club House opened in the summer of 1970. In 1973-74 additional land was acquired and homes constructed and the Cherokee nine was completed, making Indian Hills a 27 hole layout. The club property comprises 242 acres, including the golf course, club house, pools and tennis courts.

“As Indian Hills goes, so goes the Club. And to talk about one, without mentioning the other is nearly impossible”, states Jim Rhoden, President of Futren Corporation. In the earliest days, The Ladies Professional Golf Association played an annual tournament on the golf course, first known as the “Lady Tara” and then the “Lady Michelob”. The tournament was sponsored by the Atlanta Jaycees and many members of the club worked as course marshals and volunteers. Many of the players were hosted in resident’s homes while competing in the tournament. Remember, in those days IH was considered rural, there were no nearby hotels, so the subdivision “opened its doors.” In the early days of the club, this was a big deal and fun event. The tournament showcased Indian Hills and drew attention to the neighborhood and club. In 1970, Indian Hills was the largest single family subdivision between Washington D.C. and Houston.

Bob Tway, a member of the PGA Tour, lived on Indian Hills Parkway and played junior and amateur golf on the IH course and around the state. Many of the early members remember the long hours he would put in on the practice tee almost daily. He attended Oklahoma State on a golf scholarship. Bill Bergin and Denise Baldwin also both played at Indian Hills while they were growing up. They were both strong amateur players, who also had pro aspirations. 

The Club was certainly the social hub of the neighborhood. Families met one another at the pool with their children, Friday night “Happy Hours” were always jammed, (Cobb County was mostly “dry” in those days), theme parties at the pool provided additional social events that allowed members to meet and socialize and people entertained in their homes—anxious to meet new friends and neighbors.

Between January-April 1978 members of the club represented by a 3-person committee (Pres William-son, Tom Walsh and Norm Mitchell) negotiated with Santa Fe Development Company (now Futren) to purchase the Club. This Committee ultimately recommended to the membership, that we not acquire the club: the financials including a $1M balloon note and the due-diligence just didn’t make sense. Reason pre- vailed—why should we put the Club at risk? Following that event, Jim Rhoden and Futren Corporation sold shares in a Limited Partnership that enabled him to raise the capital to buy and manage the Club. The L.P. was a successful investment, but Futren began buying out the Limited Partners in the mid 1980’s and that organization still owns the Club operating today, as Indian Hills Country Club, Inc.

Over the years, the golf course had been substantially improved, trees were removed, the sand traps were improved to provide better drainage, and fairways widened. Standing on the deck of the Club House is now one of the most beautiful views in the entire area.

The Club House was completely renovated in 2004 and sits proudly as the centerpiece of the Indian Hills Community.

Over the years, we have had the Cobb Symphony Orchestra provide concerts on the 4th of July, the fireworks display has grown and draws huge traffic jams annually. But these are events that residents and members treasure and have become an anticipated tradition in our community. One of the true “fixtures” of Indian Hills is Tim Washington, a Waiter and Server at IHCC. He has been employed since July 21, 1980. Tim has become the most frequently requested server for meals and other events and is very well-liked by staff and members alike. We had an opportunity to interview Tim for this history and this author and he laughed about the memories he resurrected.

Tim came to the Club from the Red Barn Restaurant in Chastain Park. He lives in Lawrenceville, so he has quite a commute, “but the members are great and that’s why I’ve stayed all these years”. He can re-count every Manager the Club has had and has clearly enjoyed his time at IHCC. His favorite memories are the Member Appreciation Parties each summer, the Member-Guest Golf Tournaments and the pool dinner when the waiters paraded from the club house to the pool with flaming desserts (“A very impressive site”) and the Employee Appreciation Golf tournament held annually where members play with staff to show their thanks to employees for their loyalty and commitment to the Club.

During one poignant moment during our meeting, Tim stated, “What really gets me is the members I re- member as kids, who are now grown and married and bring their own children back to the Club.”

Tim also remembers the club renovation and the trailer that served as the mini grill and pro shop. “But wasn’t that all worth that inconvenience?” He remembers the explosion in the cart barn several years ago, the small fire in the Club House caused by the air conditioner and, he remembers, other stuff....Thanks Tim for your caring of our neighborhood and club. You’ve been an important part of all that!

We could list all the members in this history who are or have been Leaders of the various associations in our Club: Golf, Tennis, Swim Team, ALTA, Seniors, Ladies and Men’s Golf/Tennis, Bridge, but that makes for boring reading. We know who you are, and we salute you! You know who you are, so thanks!

Like the development, the Club has been a major part of the social and community life in Indian Hills.

25-30% of club members are also residents. Many of the club members have also become residents, so we share a common bond: As Indian Hills goes, so goes the Club!

Darwin White who joined the Club in 1974 as Head Golf Professional was inducted in the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in a ceremony that was conducted on January 10, 2009. He won the Senior Division of the Georgia PGA six times during an eight year period from 1973-1980.

Today, the club is well-run. Golf and Tennis are popular pastimes. The swim team is strong. The Club hosts the Marietta Rotary Club’s weekly meetings and has also played host to the East Cobb Optimist’s breakfast meetings. The Club reflects its membership and the residents of Indian Hills. As noted in another chapter of this History the club provided matching dollars when the East Cobb Park was built. Its matched member funds who contributed to that endeavor and

its management and leadership are involved in the community. As are the members and residents! “Indian Hills—A Great Place to Live.

Indian Hills, A Great Place to Live - the motto of the Civic Association of Indian Hills Country Club Estates. This author does not know when or who first coined this phrase but does know that it speaks volumes about our Community and the people who lived here in the early seventies and those of us who continue to live here in the first decade of the 21st century.

In the late 1960s, the Indian Hills Development was the vision of local Atlanta developer, Tom Cousins. The size and scope were greater than many small cities in rural Georgia. The vision/dream became a reality and Indian Hills, when completed, was reported to be the largest development East of the Mississippi River. We have no mayor, police force or elected officials, but we do have an organization that oversees our monthly/yearly operations and insures the welfare of our Community. That organization is the Indian Hills Civic Association and is manned by an all-volunteer army of approximately two hundred residents. These are and were dedicated people, who came from many different areas of the country, and they helped make Indian Hills the great place it is today.

Of course, there is always a story behind the development of a community and the other segments relate the Community, Club and Land History. 

However, this segment reports the Civic Association’s past, present and hopeful outlook for the future.

The year of 1972 was significant for Indian Hills as the development continued to rapidly expand with new homes, new families and some growth problems. In March, several concerned residents met to dis-cuss the problems. Indian Hills was facing crowded schools with trailers for classrooms, a sewer line running along Sope Creek through the middle of the development, and various issues with Indian Hills Country Club. This meeting was the origin of our Civic Association.

In May, after the initial meeting a Communications Network was established by Al Schmierer. Virginia Witt was delegated as temporary Chairman. The Network Committees were: Newsletter, Newcomer, Directory and Precincts. Al used the military system to setup the “Chain of Command” for the system we still use today. The Association was formally organized in June of 1972, with Bob Bowman as the first

President and Al Schmierer, as head of the Communications Committee.

In July of this same year, the first newsletter was published. Vorry Brand served as Editor and Marion Kelly served as Assistant Editor. In October, the first Indian Hills Directory of Residents was published and given to all residents free of charge. The annual dues were ten dollars and one hundred thirty-nine residents joined the Association. The development was planned in stages, with phase I, II, III, etc., each containing one hundred lots. The Newcomer Committee had a big job with the constant influx of new residents.

The Association sponsored many town hall meetings, candidates’ night and held an annual General Meeting. In the early years, the meetings were held in the auditoriums of East Side Elementary School and/or Dodgen Middle School. Ernest Barrett, Chairman of the Cobb County Commission in the mid-seventies was an early speaker and many others after him up to the current Commissioner, Sam Olens.

At present, the Community consists of approximately sixteen hundred fifty plus houses and the majority of residents belong to the Civic Association. The As- sociation provides for maintenance of our common areas (planting, mowing and flowers), random security patrols and the above mention publications, all for the reasonable annual dues of ninety-five dollars.

There are sixteen dedicated residents who serve on the Board of the Civic Association and give freely of their time. They serve as Officers, head up the Key Committees and act as Area Directors. There are nineteen Precinct Captains and one hundred fifty-two Block Captains who distribute our monthly Smoke Signals and our annual Directory. These volunteers care about their community, the residents, and their property values. They give unselfishly of their time and energy for the benefit of all.

The Residents owe a big debt of gratitude to those who have served on their behalf in the past and to those who serve today. As we approach forty years as a Community this is the reason Indian Hills is -

A Great Place to Live.

Indian Hills Future            - Rosie Griffin

As the presiding President of the Indian Hills Civic Association, I recently had the distinct privilege of meeting some of the past presidents. Numerous men and women have served on our board since 1972 and provided great leadership and direction for our community. Now that you have had the opportunity to see some of the history and growth in our com- munity through the additional historical supplements provided each month, one thing is very clear; Indian Hills is a great place to live.

My vision of Indian Hills subdivision is very optimistic in this economic downturn. We still are one of the most desirable neighborhoods to live in since we are positioned right in the middle of the Perimeter business center as well as the Cumberland business center and close to I75. We couldn’t be in a better location. We have a very diverse community of individuals; young, old, black, white, Asian, and Hispanic. We are a melting pot of people who keep this community interesting. Our history in future years will depend on how these individuals get involved in our community, what they bring to the table and what price they are willing to pay to ensure that we do not allow the community to deteriorate. Indian Hills has a legacy and a good one. We must continue to make it one of the best places to live in Cobb County.

Indian Hills Civic Association Past Presidents

1972-73	Bob Bowman		1990-91	Mike Patellis
1973-74	Robert Creekmore		1991-92	Mike Patellis
1974-75	Norm  Mitchell		1992-93	Mike Patellis
1975-76	Phebe   Ethered e		1993-94	Charlie Lester
1976-77	Mark Klein		1994-95	Charlie Lester
1977-78	Geor e Bartelme		1995-96
1978-79	Ray Rin ler		1996-97
1979-80	Wayne Bradford		1997-98	Ro er Phelps
1980-81	Walt Kutch		1998-99	Ro er Phelps
1981-82			1999-00	Mike Patellis
1982-83			2000-01	Mike Patellis
1983-84	Bob Bowmaster		2001-02	Martha Gray
1984-85	Jack Salyards		2002-03	Martha Gray
1985-86	Frank Dillon		2003-04	Sue Groszkiewicz
1986-87	Jack Salyards		2004-05	Sue Groszkiewicz
1987-88	Jack Salyards		2005-06	Sue Groszkiewicz
1988-89	John Kost		2006-07	Sue Groszkiewicz
1989-90	Bill Head		2007-08	Rosie Griffin
			2008-09	Rosie Griffin