When I first began writing the Past Tense column for the Dunwoody Crier newspaper, I focused on Dunwoody history. It was soon apparent to me that the history of other nearby communities was linked to Dunwoody history. That included Roswell, Chamblee, Doraville, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs.
I visited Heritage Sandy Springs in 2007 to see the spring of Sandy Springs for myself. Two books I picked up that day-Sandy Springs Past Tense and the second volume of this book by Lois Coogle-are still valuable sources of Sandy Springs history. After I wrote an article titled “Yes Virginia there is a Sandy Springs” for the Crier newspaper, I received an email from Heritage Sandy Springs Executive Director Carol Thompson thanking me for telling a story many did not know.
The sandy spring for which the city of Sandy Springs is named is located on land between the office building on Bluestone Drive, the Entertainment Lawn, and the Williams Payne House on Sandy Springs Circle. The property is also bordered by Sandy Springs Place and Hilderbrand Drive. A natural spring comes up through sand, protected by a cover and an overhead shelter. Carol Thompson told me five springs converge at this spot.
The spring attracted travelers through the decades, including members of the Creek Nation, who used to camp there. Later those passing through or settling in the area stopped to rest and enjoy the spring water.
The Sandy Springs Methodist Church and their campgrounds for camp meeting were nearby. People came not only from Sandy Springs, but from other communities to attend camp meeting. People would stay in small tents or cabins they constructed. These structures had sawdust floors.
Stephen Spruill, a pioneer of Dunwoody, recalls attending camp meeting at the Methodist Church in Sandy Springs. The family would gather food, bedding, and cooking utensils for a week of religious meetings and singing. This would be their summer vacation. Camp meeting was usually held in late summer during a time known as laying by, when crops did not require tending and harvest time had not yet begun.
Although the church campground in Sandy Springs is gone, some still exist in other parts of Georgia. The one I visited as a child with my mom’s side of the family is known as Shingle Roof Campground in McDonough, Ga.
In 1851, Wilson Spruill gave five acres of land for a Methodist church at the present site of the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church. A log church was built, which was also used as a school. The deed included an easement to the sandy spring, 16 feet leading to the spring. The purpose was for the church members to have access to the spring for as long as there was a church. Of course, eventually there was no longer a need to use the spring, so in 1960 Sandy Springs United Methodist Church released its rights.
This photograph of the Williams Payne House appears on the Sandy Springs Garden Club website, as well as history on how the home came to be moved from its original site.
The Heritage Sandy Springs site includes the William-Payne House Museum. The home is an 1869 farmhouse moved in 1986 to the park from its original location, near where Mount Vernon Road crosses over 400. The house is named for Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jerome Williams, who were the original owners and Mr. and Mrs. Major Payne, who purchased the home in 1939.
As of February 2022, the museum is closed due to covid concerns, according to the Heritage Sandy Springs website citysprings.com/heritage. Heritage Sandy Springs is now run by the city of Sandy Springs. The archives once held at the Bluestone location have been moved to city offices.
Other sources cited include “Sandy Springs Past Tense” by Lois Coogle and “The Story of Dunwoody” by Elizabeth L. Davis and Ethel W. Spruill