2023 is a perfect year to become acquainted with McFarlane Nature Park, an 11.2-acre passive Park  near Paper Mill and Johnson Ferry Roads. This privately-owned public park is celebrating its 30th year of  serving the community with a series of small events that  are available free to everyone.  

On a 29-degree morning in March, 17 visitors heard  the Bluebird Guy Jim Bearden speak in the back pasture,  with a backdrop of a pair of bluebirds flitting in and out  of the box he had installed for them.  

In April, on a Plein Air Painting Day at McFarlane, 12  artists arrayed themselves around the park and brought  50 paintings to offer for sale to visitors. Many of the artists  are members of the Roswell Fine Arts Alliance, and sever al are recognized local artists.  

On Earth Day, April 22, the group Body & Brain  opened their event that included a Tai Chi class, Earth  Meditation, a Nature Walk, Stretching, Body & Brain  Games, and a Tai Chi performance, followed by a bring  your own picnic lunch.  

Cobb County Arborist Dave Griffin will Walk N Talk with  visitors on May 20, meeting at the council seating area at  11 a.m. Griffin also serves on the task force that manages the Park and is familiar with the Piedmont Native Tree  Collection there which includes at least one specimen of  every tree native to the Piedmont area of Georgia. 

On June 12, University of Georgia Pollinator expert  Becky Griffin will talk about the insects on which we all  depend. This talk begins at 10 a.m. and will be child  friendly. Becky runs the annual UGA Pollinator Census.  

McFarlane Nature Park features gardens of native  plants installed and maintained by a team of Master  Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County who have been  active in the park since 1993. Three large pastures and  a woodland with walking paths provide the peace and  serenity requested in the will of Florence McFarlane who  left the property to serve as a passive community space.  

A caretaker resides in the 1941 farmhouse on  the property. Owned originally by the late prominent  Atlanta attorney, Hughes Spalding, Sr., the house was constructed as the centerpiece for Spalding’s extensive  agricultural acreage, and adjoined farmland of noted  Atlanta attorney and judge, John A. Sibley. In 1929,  Hughes Spalding, Sr., succeeded his father, Jack Johnson  Spalding, Sr. as senior partner in the prestigious law firm  of King & Spalding established in 1885. About 1939-40,  Hughes Spalding commissioned the design of the house  for his farm manager, Mr. Floyd Spruill and Spruill’s family.  

Noted Cuthbert, Georgia, architect, Henry Johnson  Toombs (1896-1967), designed the house, garage, and  immediate grounds. The exposed rafters and huge beams  reveal quality construction. Architect Toombs is best known  for his work for President Franklin Roosevelt at Warm Springs,  Georgia, and Hyde Park, New York. Among Toombs’ com mercial designs are the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank,  along with four in other states; Lenox Square; and Rich’s  Store for Homes. Traditional quality and insistence upon sur rounding green space are Toombs’ signature. 

McFarlane Nature Park, at 280 Farm Rd SE, is open  dawn to dusk daily.