Herbert Taylor Park was inducted into the national Old Growth Forest Network on April 25th, at the Discovering Atlanta’s Original Forest event featuring environmental author Joan Maloof.

Several champion trees, a high diversity of tree species and uncommon native plants can be found in this forest that holds the confluence of Rock Creek and the South Fork of Peachtree Creek.

This property is one of several original forest remnants in Atlanta, often found along steep, un-farmable slopes, that retain old growth trees and species that are the legacy of those living in pre-European settlement times.

After Native Americans had left — or had been forced to leave — this area, pioneer Daniel Johnson received a large lot of land in the DeKalb land lottery in the early 1820’s.  The 200-acre portion he subsequently sold to Henry Irby in 1838 would host the tavern at a cross-roads that became the namesake and founding property of Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. A walk through the forest today can give us a window back in time to hint at what our area looked like before Atlanta’s development booms.

A Creek Native American settlement was located near the confluence of the creek, and potsherds can still be found in the sandy shoals of Peachtree Creek.

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