Sorry forgot to include site for the Pace's Ferry blurb: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_ferries_of_the_Atlanta_area#Pace.27s_Ferry Pace's Ferry & Mill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pace's_Ferry The name Paces Ferry derives from a flat-boat ferry service that Hardy Pace, a settler who came to the area from North Carolina, established in the early 1800s near where Peachtree Creek empties into the Chattahoochee. Pace, born in 1785, also ran a post office near what is now Vinings. He died in 1864 and is buried in the Vinings Cemetery. http://www.buckhead.net/tuxedopark/ Picture of bridge that replaced Hardy's ferry. http://www.preserveatlanta.com/pacesferry.htm Because of the Chattahoochee River, some of the earliest businesses in Atlanta were ferries and mills. The road named after Hardy Pace's ferry--Paces Ferry--winds its way in front of the governor's mansion and other prestigious addresses in the upscale Buckhead section of Atlanta. The site of James Power's ferry, and the road named after it (Powers Ferry), is now the location of numerous office parks and apartment complexes. Some of these ferry services survived well into the 20th century. Antebellum gristmills and sawmills also left behind traces through such names as Moores Mill Road and Howell Mill Road. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/antebellum.htm TOO INTERESTING: http://www.vinings.org/walkthrough.htm 4. The Pace House- During the summer of 1864, July 5 to July 17, Federal Commander William T. Sherman moved into Vinings where he and his troops planned their campaign to siege Atlanta. Vinings became headquarters for the Federal army. It served as a railroad, supply depot, ammunition dump, and hospital site. General O. Howard occupied the Pace House. On July 5, the Federal troops crossed the Chattahoochee River and met with great resistance. The wounded were brought to the Pace home which became a Federal hospital. So many arrived that they were treated in tents surrounding the house. One Captain George Pepper described “the horrors of the hospital, the floors and tables covered with blood.” Vinings continued to be a center for the Union Forces until the fall of Atlanta in September 1864. After the war, the Pace children returned to find their seventeen-room antebellum home burned to the ground. Two devoted slaves, Fannie and Albert, stayed and helped the family get settled in a small slave cabin left standing in the yard. The current Pace House was built using doors, windows, and remnants from the slave cabins on the premises. The stone steps, which remain, are all that is left of the original home. 12. Vinings Mountain (Mt. Wilkinson)- Officially, it is listed as Mt. Wilkenson, but to most, it is known as Vinings Mountain. It was from Vinings Mountain, in 1864, that General Sherman got his first look at the church spires of Atlanta. The mountain was a signal point throughout the battle of Atlanta; semaphore flags and torches were used. On the top of the mountain is the private family cemetery for the Pace and Robinson families. Hardy Pace was buried here after his death on December 6, 1864. Until the mid 1980s, the road leading to the top of the mountain was open so anyone could drive up to enjoy the view. Several historic plaques marked the significances of the mountain. However, the site was closed to the public having been abused by revelers who left behind litter and refuse. The plaques were removed after being damaged by vandals. Today, the best view of Atlanta is to be found from the top of the parking deck of the Overlook III office building, just below Vinings Mountain. 14. The Old Bridge at Paces Ferry- Approximately one mile down Paces Ferry Road from the heart of historic Vinings is the Chattahoochee River crossing where Hardy Pace operated his ferry business in the early 1830s. Pace had moved to this area from North Carolina, by way of Putnam County, Georgia. By 1839, he had acquired a vast land holding in and around the Vinings area. One story suggests that he owned 10,000 acres from Buckhead to Smyrna. It is fact that his name is now attached to one of Northwest Atlanta’s most famous streets…address of the Governor’s Mansion and other homes of distinction. The site of the ferry is thought to be about fifty feet upstream from the old bridge, which was built in 1904. The one-way iron truss wooden-planked bridge functioned until it was replaced for vehicular traffic in the early 1970s. The old bridge was preserved for pedestrians. This location was also significant in Civil War times, as both Confederate and Union forces on their way to Atlanta, crossed the river on pontoon bridges at this point. Walk across the bridge to the Atlanta side of the river to see the historic marker in the Lovett School drive. GOT carried away... this is too interesting! Another site says Hardy Pace owned much of Buckhead and as far west as Vinings. 10,000 acres of Atlanta real estate! Becky Mosely