• Phinizy Center for Water Sciences, Richmond County

• Pendleton King Park, Richmond County

• Reed Creek Nature Park, Columbia County

• Billie’s Butterfly Garden in North Augusta, Aiken County

• The Augusta Sculpture Trail, Richmond County

• Bath Gardens, Richmond County

Phinizy Center for Water Sciences

Richmond County

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pendleton King Park

Richmond County

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reed Creek Nature Park

Columbia County

 

Billie’s Butterfly Garden in North Augusta

Aiken County

 

 

The Augusta Sculpture Trail

Richmond County

 

 

Bath Gardens

Richmond County

 

 

 

At the 2025 Sacred Heart Garden Festival, Phinizy Center for Water Sciences will present the family-friendly educational activities during Seedling Saturday, on Saturday, April 26. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1996 in response to a critical need in the community, it is located in Phinizy Swamp, near the Augusta Regional Airport and adjacent to the Savannah River. Phinizy Swamp is much larger than the 1,100 acres of the Nature Park. It is estimated to be about 7,000 acres and covers almost all the land between Doug Barnard Parkway, Gordon Highway, and the Savannah River. 

Phinizy Swamp has not always included the picturesque nature park that is managed today by the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences. The swamp has gone through tremendous changes over the years and many people have left their mark. Native Americans first occupied this area, leaving behind artifacts and evidence of the tribes that called the swamp home. Beginning in the 1770s, the land was both privately and publicly owned. In 1973, the land was acquired by the city of Augusta and remained undeveloped, becoming an illegal dumping site. When the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences (at that time named Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy) was formed in the 1990’s, much of the trash left from years of illegal dumping was removed.

The organization was founded in response to a critical need in the community for leadership in natural resources management and environmental education. Education programs feature hands-on, science-based learning experiences for school field trips, professional development for K-12 teachers, as well as education for lifelong learners. The park is free and open to the public 365 days a year from dawn to dusk and regularly hosts family-friendly public events.

Phinizy’s pollinator garden was established in 2016 with help from the community and made possible by grant funds from International Paper. The gardens feature native plants and can be found next to the visitor’s parking area towards the front restrooms and in front of the Phinizy Visitor Center. The gardens are a notable feature for Phinizy Center programs and are used to teach the community about the importance of pollinators and protecting native plants.

Volunteers are needed who have a passion for native plants and pollinators to maintain our gardens. We also need more volunteers to help continue fixing up our trails and removing fallen trees from damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Interested volunteers can go to: https://phinizycenter.org/volunteer/

For more information about the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences, visit the website at: https://phinizycenter.org/

 

 

 

 

Sacred Heart is proud to host this year’s Pendleton King Park Plant Sale, as the Park property is still recovering from Hurricane Helene damage at this time.

Pendleton King Park, a 64-acre historic jewel in the center of Augusta, began with John Pendleton King (1799-1888), one of the most influential men in Georgia history. A judge and a member of the US Senate (1833-1837), he helped develop the Georgia Railroad, the Georgia Railroad Bank, the Augusta Canal, and the King Mill in Augusta. On the plantation was a typical three-story Southern mansion with two story white columns on the front and verandahs on both floors. An avenue of cherry trees led to the Georgia Railroad tracks. As President of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, Judge King walked down the tree-lined avenue to the tracks, where the incoming Georgia Railroad passenger train would stop for him and take him into Augusta. He died in 1888 at the age of 88 and is buried in the St. Paul’s Churchyard.

John Pendleton King’s son, Henry Barclay King and his wife, Elizabeth, had only one son, John Pendleton King II. He was called Pendleton and grew up on the family estate. Around 1912, while Pendleton was serving overseas as a soldier, the family home burned and was never rebuilt. Henry safely returned from war but died shortly thereafter in 1919, at age 29, of a probable brain aneurysm. In his will, Henry Barclay King designated 64-acres of the plantation as a bird sanctuary in memory of his deceased son, Pendleton.

In the 1960s, Augusta’s mayor, George Sancken, formed a development committee to establish Pendleton King Park and volunteers worked tirelessly to officially open the park in May of 1966.

Recently, the park has experienced an explosion of volunteer work which has provided manpower for new developments, including a new hydrangea garden, two playgrounds, expansion of the camelia garden, a Bark Park and the addition of a Children’s Sculpture Garden and Musical Garden. The old fence around Lake Elizabeth was removed and a fountain added. Since 2010, the Park has been owned by the Pendleton King Park Foundation and is under the management of the Augusta Richmond County Parks and Recreation Department. With its history, beauty and recent improvements, Pendleton King Park continues to bring enjoyment to new generations of our community. In addition to the City of Augusta, the many gardens of the Park are cared for by Augusta-area master gardeners, the Augusta Disc Golf Association, Azalea Garden Club, Green Court Garden Club, Sand Hills Garden Club, and other community volunteers.

Pendleton King Park sustained considerable damage from Hurricane Helene and is not currently open to the public. The city is working in the park to reopen as soon as possible. Once the park has reopened, there will be a need for volunteers.

To learn more about Pendleton King Park, visit its website: pendletonkingpark.com.

 

 

 

Tucked just off a commercial stretch of busy Fury’s Ferry Rd, is 15-acre Reed Creek Nature Park and Interpretive Center, featuring a 0.4-mile scenic raised boardwalk through the wetland and forested trails along the creek. In the springtime, the symphony of mating calls by a variety of frogs earned it the local nickname of “frog park.” Sadly, the Columbia County Parks and Recreation property was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene last September and is currently closed indefinitely.

Previously, the Wetland Interpretive Center was free and open to the public for live animal exhibits, educational displays, and events. The center was staffed by Environmental Educators who led tour groups through the park and public nature programs and hosted nature-focused summer camps. Plant and pollinator enthusiasts learned from the CSRA Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden and Pollinator Garden which featured many native plants. Master Gardener volunteers maintained seven raised beds in the demonstration garden with each garden reflecting the style and personality of its own gardener.

Stay connected to the Columbia County website for updates at www.columbiacounty.gov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tucked away near the east entrance of the North Augusta Greeneway is a serene pocket garden known as “Billie’s Butterfly Garden.” It was officially opened in April 2017 but began through a dream of Roy Kibler, the Superintendent of Property Maintenance, for the City of North Augusta. City Engineer, Tim Zeaser, had planted the seed in Roy to possibly establish a garden on the site of the long-abandoned Waterworks Park. After drafting a landscape design plan for a pollinator garden, Roy contacted various groups to find help to convert this overgrown, shabby site. But the funding was simply not available at that time.

Then, in the early 2000’s, Hammond’s Ferry planned development grew at an astounding pace. Along with many others, Carleton and Billie Vaughn built a lovely home in the neighborhood. Billie, an avid bicyclist, had logged many miles on the Greeneway. Tragically, Billie died shortly after moving into their home. Billie loved the Greeneway and butterflies. Her family wanted to establish a memorial, and thus, the Friends of the Greeneway (FROG) and Hammond’s Ferry Association collaborated to establish funding. This opened the path for renovation of the Old Waterworks. In 2015-2017, land clearing began, brick paver paths were installed, soil amendments were added, and pollinator-friendly plants were planted. A custom-designed butterfly bench graces an arbor placed centrally in the garden. The North Augusta Garden Clubs assumed maintenance of the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In January 2025, The City of Augusta and The Greater Augusta Arts Council installed ten new sculptures as part of the Sculpture Trail. The Augusta Sculpture Trail is a walkable and promotable art trail to attract local and regional visitors to the Downtown Augusta area, supporting Augusta’s economic and cultural prosperity. The public works of art are placed at intervals that make for a fun and easy outdoor walking trail.

The top ten sculptures were selected from submissions from across the country and the pieces will remain a part of the Sculpture Trail for two years, through December 2026. Three of the sculptures from the 2nd iteration of our Sculpture Trail have been donated to the City’s Public Art Collection and included as a permanent addition to the Trail. 

Several of the pieces on the Sculpture Trail are in a small sculpture garden at 523 13^th St., adjacent to The 523 Gallery. The Gallery is dedicated to art and artists with disabilities and hosts a collection of artwork. The Gallery grew from a vision of showcasing the many talents and capabilities of people with disabilities and was created by Walton Rehabilitation Hospital and Walton Foundation. The Sculpture Garden is a peaceful spot to enjoy the sculpture and large mural from the bench or picnic table.

For those following the Sculpture Trail, QR code provides a self-guided tour with the latest updates. It can be accessed from any mobile device. This tool will help visitors learn specifics about each work of art while they explore the Augusta Sculpture Trail, and includes audio of each artist, talking about their works of art.

The Arts Council also offers interactive and engaging tours that include touring part of the Sculpture Trail with a guide. For more information on booking the “Love Augusta Arts Tour,” visit AugustaArts.com or call the Arts Council at 706-826-4702.

 

 

 

 

Little is left of the historic summer retreat known as Richmond Bath or simply Bath. Located in Blythe, south of Augusta off Deans Bridge Rd., little is left of the historic summer retreat enjoyed by generations of the families who once called the enclave “home.” It was a favored summering place throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, noted for the cold springs that offered relief from the hot Georgia summers as well as threats of malaria in the city. When Louisville was the capital of the state, Bath was a half-way point between the new capital and Augusta. 

 Over the years, multiple families have owned and built on the property. A hotel, known as Posner’s Bath, was built beside the spring house, attracting guests arriving by stagecoach. Bath later attracted an encampment of United States troops during the War of 1812. In 1819, the Bath land was acquired by Dr. James Whitehead, a wealthy planter of Burke County, and it became quite a family affair. Whitehead sold off parcels to family and friends over the years whose homes created a village surrounding Bath.  

 Over time, the houses burned, were torn down, or collapsed from neglect, especially during the Depression. Alonzo “Lonnie” Boardman and his wife, the former Elizabeth Fleming, began to improve some of the property at Bath in the 1950s and 1960s. The result was Bath Gardens, a delightful valley where numerous springs form six ponds, accented by a Lodge, and other buildings, all with Bavarian design. The created village overlooked a beautiful garden. Only one building remains today: the McNatt-Green-Burdell house, which was once a tea house which served such notable guests as President William Howard Taft and John D. Rockefeller. 

 When Mr. Boardman died in 1972, the garden began to deteriorate. In 2018, the garden was inherited by h granddaughter, Catherine Fleming, of Charleston, SC. “The thought of this beautiful place disintegrating to nothing was heartbreaking to me,” she said. In 2019, restoration and renovation of Bath Gardens began in earnest. 

 Extensive restoration has been completed to the pools, ponds, fountains, structures and gardens over the last several years. An official ribbon-cutting and celebration was held in April 2022 to introduce the restored grounds to the public. The Gardens are now open to the public for weddings, corporate events, educational programs, movie production, gardening, artists’ retreats, photography, and maybe just a quiet place to walk with your dog. Now managed by a non-profit board of directors, the goal of Bath Gardens Foundation, Inc. is “to use the garden by as many people as possible in as many ways as possible for as long as possible.” 

 More information about visiting, planning an event or volunteering may be found at: Lush Green Community | Bath Gardens.