by Doug Gray - Mar 2009

 

If John A. Sibley were alive today, we hope he would be pleased with the development of his former property where Sibley Forest lies. This historical account of Sibley Forest starts in the early 1800’s and each homeowner in Sibley Forest can use this account to appreciate our history, and build upon it.

 

Sibley Forest, with its 301 homes, is located between Sope Creek Elementary School and the Sope Creek Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). Sope Creek and the Chattahoochee River have played an integral part of the area’s history and development.

 

In 1828, the State of Georgia passed laws allowing the State to seize property owned by the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees protested these laws, but the U.S. Government ruled in favor of the State of Georgia in 1832. This ruling resulted in the forced migration of the Cherokees from their homeland to lands west of the Mississippi River. One Indian, Chief Sope, stayed behind and lived along the banks of a creek that bears his name today.

 

The Marietta Paper Mill was constructed on Sope Creek in late 1859. During the Civil War, the mill produced paper that was used by the Confederacy to print money. In 1863, A.S. Edmonston wrote a letter to the newspaper bemoaning the fact that almost all of the mill workers had left their jobs to join the fight. Despite being short-handed, the mill continued to operate through the war, until it was burned by Sherman’s cavalry on July 5, 1864. Sherman’s army proceeded to cross the Chattahoochee River, using an old Cherokee fish weir as a shallow bridge. Following the war, the mill was re-built, but it burned again. The mill was built for a third time and operated for a short while.

 

Three prominent Atlanta families purchased several thousand acres along the Chattahoochee River in the 1930’s. Mr. Hughes Spalding owned the land south of the Johnson Ferry Bridge, Mr. T.K. Glenn owned the property north of Cochran Shoals, and Mr. John A. Sibley owned 1,300 acres in the middle. Mr. Spalding was an Atlanta attorney who operated a farm on his property. He built a house for his farm manager, which is now the site of McFarlane Nature Park on Paper Mill Road.

 

John A. Sibley (“Papa”) was the father of eight children. These children and their families spent many happy times in the fields and trails of “Papa’s” property. Many of these happy times are recorded in a book titled, Papa’s Cabin, published in June, 2002. One excerpt from James Malcolm Sibley is recorded below.

 

“The land was beautiful. It had flat pasture on the side of the river which rises to rolling country where trees were plentiful. Much of the land just south of Paper Mill [Road] was red dirt. When Papa first started using the property for recreation, he and [his] children rode horses from a barn on Mr. Spalding’s property next to his pasture on the river. He raised cattle so we rode among the cows but continued all over all of the property as all had permission to ride wherever a trail took us.”

 

Spending time on the Sibley property inspired family members and visitors to preserve, protect and enhance green space. In recognition of this love for the outdoors, the Callaway family named the Horticultural Center at Callaway Gardens after John A. Sibley. One of John’s sons, John Sibley III, served as the President of the Georgia Conservancy, an organization dedicated to saving Georgia’s landscape.

 

Mr. Sibley started selling parts of the property in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He sold approximately three hundred (300) acres to the Atlanta Country Club in 1968 for a portion of the golf course. In 1972, Mr. Sibley sold another 900 acres to Tom Cousins, who intended to develop the tract over time as single family residential. Tom also purchased the Glenn property, which is now the home of the Wildwood office development and Cousins Properties, Inc.

 

Tom Cousins shared John Sibley’s appreciation for nature. Before turning his attention to office real estate in the 1980’s, he was noted in Atlanta for developing neighborhoods such as Indian Hills, Huntcliff and Riverchase. In each case, he built a legacy for saving as many trees as possible, which stands in stark contrast to most residential developers. Tom also led the effort to implement architectural controls, assisted by an associate named Hans Woolrich.

 

In order to develop the Sibley tract, Tom Cousins needed to rezone the property. Partly in exchange for Tom’s contribution of the land for Sope Creek Elementary School, Cobb County agreed to rezone about 490 acres of the property from R-80 to R-20 in 1977. Shortly after the zoning was changed, Tom decided to sell a good portion of his river-front property to the U.S. Government. The federal government added this property to the CRNRA, which now totals approximately 9,100 acres along a 48-mile portion of the river. About this same time, the land adjacent to the school site and south of Paper Mill Road was deeded to Cousins’ financial partner, Citibank.

 

After Sope Creek Elementary was built in February of 1978, Citibank began making plans to develop what is now known as Sibley Forest. The Homeowners Association of Sibley Forest, Inc. (“the Association”) was incorporated on March 5, 1980. One of its primary missions was to “enhance, preserve and maintain the natural beauty of the [common properties] and its surroundings for all the residents and users of said property”.

 

Three people led the development effort and served as directors of the newly-formed Association. The development entity was Tartan-MMA Associates, and was known as Tartan Morstan. Gerrit A. White was one of the principals at Morstan Development Co. The three directors of the Association were William Burge, Robert Tresch and Jim Yongue. The developer hand-picked six high quality builders:

 

* Marrett Properties, Inc. Bob/Bill Marrett

* T.C. Crawford & Associates, Inc. Tom Crawford

* George S. Morgan Development Co. George Morgan

* Ricker Homes, Inc. George Ricker

* Crawley Enterprises

* Jack Jones, Inc.

 

The developer completed the clubhouse in 1980 and finished the pool in 1981. Dues were set at $360 per year, and did not include trash pickup. The Association established six committees (architectural, pool, clubhouse, tennis, social and grounds), and recruited homeowner volunteers to serve the neighborhood.

 

The first group of homeowners quickly established the tradition of community activities and volunteer service. Becky Keith, assisted by Judy Smith, started the Women’s Club. The first “Forest Line” newsletter was published in 1982, along with a directory of homeowners. 1982 also marked the first annual “Holiday Lights”, which has become a very popular Sibley event in December. After seeing how much fun the women were having, the Sibley men decided to form a group of their own. Doug Erwin, Al Waters, Dick Hanson and Scott Sigler settled on the name, “Bisons”, and the fun began. Annual events started by the Bisons include the Junior Olympics (conceived by Jim Jancik), the Bison Open Golf Tourney, and the Kudzu Ball (Dinner/Dance). Leo Cooper assumed the role as Chief Bison, and led the Sibley men as they sponsored an annual fundraiser for Scottish Rite Hospital, and were recognized for their tremendous level of support. Sue Wootton’s contributions in the early years were invaluable, especially with regard to zoning and governmental affairs.

 

The Sibley Seahorse swim team got its start with funding from a local brokerage firm, and the efforts of Mary Kazmierczak. Tennis teams soon formed and began competing all over metro Atlanta. All of these activities served to unify the community and strengthen the bonds between neighbors. To quote one long-time Sibley resident, “The community spirit in Sibley Forest has always been special, and the neighborhood provides a great place to raise a family. It’s almost like a small town.”

 

Following the completion of the pool, clubhouse and tennis courts, the developer donated Lot 5 (between 633 Gunby and the Pool) as the playground area. Homeowners raised money among themselves, and together with a donation from the developer, purchased the first set of playground equipment. The donated land was considered by some to be payment for failing to install sidewalks in phase I of Sibley Forest (Sibley Forest Drive, Bostic Hill, Bridle Trail and Denards Mill). A summary of the sidewalk saga can be found in the minutes of the Annual Meeting that was held on March 14, 1985.

 

The Tartan-Morstan partnership was dissolved in 1986. Following the dissolution of the developer’s partnership, the homeowners assumed total control of the Association on April 27, 1986. Rick Murphy, a Sibley homeowner, was elected by his fellow directors to serve as President of the Association. He served until March of 1987, when Jim Thompson was elected to the Board, then subsequently elected by his directors to serve as President. Jim served his homeowners as President for three years, from ’87 to ‘90.

 

Sibley Forest has always enjoyed having homeowners who enthusiastically serve their Association. In fact, one of the main reasons for the continued success of the neighborhood is that homeowners willingly answer the call for service. Jim Thompson, quite possibly, set the tone for this service during his three years on the Board. He enforced the covenants, but did so in a manner that was fair and non-judgmental. His organizational skills, his encouraging words, and his vision for the neighborhood set the foundation upon which the Association was built. In his memory, an award is presented at each Annual Meeting to the non-Board member who most exemplifies Jim’s servant heart and love for Sibley Forest.

 

Over twenty years have passed since the Association was formed, and Sibley Forest gets stronger each day. The common properties are in good condition, the finances are strong, and the volunteer spirit is burning bright. John Sibley and Tom Cousins would be proud.