Clarence A Ferrell

1900-1901

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Virginia (Hollis) Hand Callaway

1900 - 1995

Virginia Hollis Hand was born on February 21, 1900. She grew up in Pelham, Georgia and was the daughter of Judson Larrabee Hand (1850-1916) and Florence Hollis Hand (1876-1969). While attending a party in Atlanta, Virginia met a young man recently home from the Navy named Cason Jewell Callaway. Cason and Virginia were married in Pelham on April 3, 1920. Cason and Virginia settled in LaGrange, Georgia, where Cason was deeply involved in running the family's cotton mills. They had three children, Virginia ("Jinks") in 1921, Cason ("Caso") Jr. in 1924, and Howard ("Bo") in 1927. Virginia’s sister, Alice Hand, married Fuller E. Callaway, Jr., brother of Cason, in 1930.

For many years to follow, Virginia busied herself with duties as a wife and mother. After Cason's retirement from the mills, the family moved to their weekend getaway at Blue Springs, near Hamilton, Georgia. With a mind for philanthropy, Virginia was involved in many endeavors, most of them focused on financial aid for education of individual children and families. She was active in the Red Cross and initiated Red Cross swimming classes for area children at her Blue Springs pool. She frequently sponsored children at summer camps.

Cason had purchased thousands of acres of land in the area, and Cason and Virginia eventually decided to build a garden of incessant beauty to share with the world. She was an active partner with Cason in planning and guiding the development of Callaway Gardens, and put much of her efforts into the horticultural side of the Gardens. Under her direction, azaleas and other native plants from the nurseries at Blue Springs were used to enhance the lakeside drive through the Gardens. She and Cason opened Callaway Gardens to the public on May 20, 1952, and they worked together on it until his death in 1961. Following his death, she succeeded him as Chairman of the Board of the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation™. In 1971 she founded the Cason J. Callaway Memorial Forest, preserving 3,000 acres of woodlands on the Pine Mountain Ridge that continues to serve as a conservation education site.

Virginia Callaway was recognized with many awards during her lifetime including the Georgia Wildlife Federation's Conservation Educator of the Year award (1974), the Garden Club of America's Margaret Douglas Conservation Medal (1979), and the American Horticulture Society's Catherine H. Sweeny Award (1988). She lived at Blue Springs until her death on February 11, 1995.

Sarah Coleman Ferrell

1817-1903

Sarah, daughter of Mickleberry Ferrell and Nancy Coleman, moved to LaGrange with her family in 1832 when her father bought land in Troup County. In 1835, at age 18, she married her double first cousin, Blount Coleman Ferrell, a practice common in those times. Sarah and Blount lived briefly in Marianna, Florida returning to LaGrange in 1841 where they made their home on her father's property.

Sarah is most well known for her horticultural pursuits which spanned over 62 years. Between 1841 and 1903 she created "The Terraces”, locally known as "Ferrell Gardens". Sarah expanded a small formal garden begun in 1832 by her mother and by the 1860’s her garden was among the finest in the southern region of the United States. The garden design reflected her staunch religious beliefs and her classical education which she received from Prof. Robert C. Brown. Her boxwood parterres were famous for their mottos "Fiat Justitia" and "God Is Love". Other religious symbolism sculpted in boxwood included the harp in the Church Garden, the Grapes of Canaan and the double outlined word "GOD" adjacent to the entry gate.

Throughout the nineteenth century, her gardens were open to local people, much the same as a public park. They were also a major attraction for statewide and regional conferences which met in LaGrange, and during commencement exercises associated with the two female colleges in LaGrange. Sarah and her friends vied with each other to grow exotic plants and trees which they ordered from nurseries that specialized in rare plants. Sarah’s floral arrangements, made with flowers from her gardens, were known far and wide. She sent giant floral pyramids as far away as Savannah for state fairs and prepared ceremonial wreaths and arrangements for numerous special occasions.

The Ferrells celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary at “The Terraces”, in 1903. Their home was always filled with extended family, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Sarah and Blount had three children: Palmon E. Ferrell, who died of malaria during the War Between the States; Clarence A. Ferrell, who also built a home on this land; and Napoleana Ferrell, wife of C. S. A. Capt. Sidney A. Moses.

Ida Jane (Cason) Callaway

1872-1936

Ida, daughter of Confederate veteran Alexander T. Cason and Olivia P. Jewell of Jewell, Georgia, came to LaGrange as a student at Southern Female College. Fuller courted her by sending her bananas from his store. They were a delicacy in those days and hard to come by. They married in 1891 and had two sons: Cason Jewell Callaway and Fuller E. Callaway, Jr. Ida was devoted to her husband, family, and home which was always filled with extended family. Her parents and Fuller's brother, Pope, were permanent members of the household. At other times their household included Fuller’s brother Howard along with nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition, the Callaways frequently entertained and had house guests from all over the world.

When they bought the Ferrell property in 1911 Ida began to oversee Ferrell Gardens. She oversaw the rejuvenation of the gardens after they were neglected for three years, following Judge Ferrell’s death in 1908. She added boxwood mottos of her own, including "St. Callaway” and “Ora Pro Mi", to complement mottos planted by Sarah Ferrell. These were planted using boxwood from the old home place of Rev. Abner R. Callaway. Ida also renamed the property “Hills and Dales” after the beautiful rolling terrain.

Ida, a deeply religious woman, belonged to several hereditary and patriotic societies including United Daughters of the Confederacy, Society of Mayflower Descendants, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1932, she entertained the Garden Clubs of America at Hills and Dales in celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of Ferrell Gardens.

Ida Cason Callaway Chapel at First Baptist Church of LaGrange and Ida Cason Callaway Gardens, as well as its lovely, lakeside chapel, were all named to honor her memory.

Fuller Earle Callaway

1870-1928

Fuller Earle Callaway was the youngest of nine children born to Rev. Abner Reeves Callaway and Sarah Jane Howard. Born in LaGrange on June 15, 1870 he grew up in Troup County, dividing his time between living with relatives in town and at one of his father's farms near Long Cane. After his mother passed away, when he was eight years old, Fuller frequently stayed with his elder brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Enoch Callaway and Fannie Banks.

Fuller, industrious from an early age, earned his first nickel working as a water boy at a barn-raising when he was eight. With this money he bought three spools of thread in town and then sold them in the country for a nickel each, making a dime on his first deal. He worked for Edwin R. Bradfield at Bradfield's Department Store from 1884 to 1888 and then partnered with J.B. Phillips to create his first retail business, Fuller E. Callaway & Company. In 1895, Fuller invested his life savings in a LaGrange cotton factory promoted by out-of-towners, who built the mill but equipped it poorly. Working with Otis A. Dunson and John M. Barnard, Fuller re-tooled the mill and made it profitable before selling his interest. As a result of this success, he was approached to spearhead another factory in 1899. The result was Unity Cotton Mills, which became was headed by Fuller, James G. Truitt and C. V. Truitt. Unity became the first of numerous mills started by Mr. Callaway. The Callaway group of textile companies eventually became Callaway Mills and employed thousands of people across the region. In addition to his textile and department store enterprise Fuller started a bank, a wholesale company, and numerous other business ventures. He was well know for his business acumen and was a pioneer in the mail order business. Fuller also created the town of Manchester, Georgia as an industrial project.

Fuller turned down several national political appointments but served for many years on LaGrange City Council, the State Railroad Commission, and was President of the American Cotton Manufacturers Association. Fuller convinced representatives of the European textile industry to attend the 1919 World Cotton Congress in New Orleans and entertained the entire group at his LaGrange home, Hills and Dales. An extensive traveler, Fuller met the famous Lord Kitchener while traveling in Egypt in 1913. During his visit he introduced a strain of early maturing cotton to Egypt which helped the Egyptian cotton industry prosper. He founded the Highland Country Club in 1922 and arranged for Neel Reid to design the clubhouse and Donald Ross to prepare the golf course layout. In 1923, he initiated the formation of the LaGrange Rotary Club and was a charter member.

A generous and philanthropic employer, Fuller built communities complete with schools, parks, churches, club houses, recreation facilities, and neat homes and gardens. He established foundations to provide educational opportunities and health care for his employees and their families. When he died, employees from the Callaway group of companies donated the funds to build a memorial tower in his honor: Callaway Monument, an Italian style campanile, was dedicated in 1929.

As a youth, Fuller befriended Sarah Ferrell and frequently visited Ferrell Gardens. In 1911 Fuller and his wife, Ida, bought the old Ferrell place and began reclaiming the gardens and preparing to build a new home on the property. In 1916 their new Georgian Italian style home was completed and Fuller and Ida celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a large reception at their new home. Designed by the noted architect, Neel Reid, the home and garden were greatly cherished by Fuller and Ida. Shortly after Fuller's death his wife Ida wrote a book of memories and stated “Dedicated to the memory of one of the most laughter-loving, energetic, loyal and thoughtful of husbands, fathers, and grandfathers and one of the most esteemed and useful men of his generation. His real greatness lay in those elements of character which made those who worked with him delight to call him friend" It is a most appropriate remembrance of a great Georgian.

Fuller Earle Callaway, Jr.

1907-1992

Fuller, Jr., second son of Fuller and Ida, followed in his father's footsteps. He began his career at age fourteen as a coal stoker at Elm City Cotton Mills. In 1932, Fuller devised the formula by which the corporate entity Callaway Mills was created, though the name had long been in use to denote the various manufacturing enterprises built up by Fuller, Sr. and Cason Callaway. In 1935, Fuller, Jr. succeeded Cason as President, who became Chairman of the Board until 1938 when Fuller, Jr. assumed complete control over the enterprise. Under his direction, Callaway Mills became one of the leading textile companies in the United States, setting the standard by which excellence was measured. He promoted and spearheaded textile research publishing the Callaway Textile Dictionary in 1947.

Fuller was charitably minded and continued his father’s legacy of assisting mill employees and helping them build a better community. He and his wife, Alice, established Callaway Foundation, Inc. and Fuller E. Callaway Foundation as a way to support charitable entities in the region. The two foundations have given away millions of dollars across the region and state. Those gifts have supported innumerable churches, hospitals, recreational facilities, educational programs, arts facilities and other civic organizations.

His interests were wide and varied. In addition to being an astute businessman, and philanthropist, Fuller was an accomplished painter, cattle rancher, legal expert, and was well versed in medicine. He served as President of Rotary Club of LaGrange, Highland Country Club, and served in World War II, as well as being President of the Cotton Manufacturers Association. He shared his father's sense of humor, his mother's religious charity, and was an artist of the well told story. His memorials are many, including two markers in downtown LaGrange and Callaway High School. Like his father and brother he was an honored member of the Newcomen Society.

Cason Jewell Callaway

1894 - 1961

Cason Jewell Callaway was born in LaGrange, Georgia, the son of Fuller Earle and Ida Cason Callaway on November 6, 1894. Cason quickly learned that he was the son of an important man. Fuller did not like the idea that his success would keep Cason from knowing the adversity that builds character and told Cason not to get "puffed up." In the mills, Cason swept floors and wiped machines. After graduation from Eastman Business School, he applied for a job at the mills and was hired as a bookkeeper. Cason was asked to manage a new waste mill where cotton dregs were converted to cheap rags and mops. When Fuller saw that the mill was prospering, he took Cason in as a business equal, and the Board soon elected him treasurer of the mill group. The mills grew from five plants to fourteen and sent rugs, wiping cloths, laundry supplies, towels, trousers, and cord for automobile tires all over the world. When their father died in 1928, Cason and his brother, Fuller, felt the weight of the company more than ever.

Cason had served his country during World War I in the United States Navy. Shortly after he returned from the Navy in 1919, he met a young woman, Virginia Hand, at a party in Atlanta. The two were married in Virginia’s hometown of Pelham, Georgia, on April 3, 1920. During the Depression, Cason's thoughts turned from cotton to his family’s retreat at Blue Springs near today's Callaway Gardens where he and Virginia hosted many friends and dignitaries such as neighbor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Cason's projects at Blue Springs gave him freedom and a refreshing change. In 1935 Cason decided to leave the mills. He named his brother, Fuller Jr., president. By 1938 he retired completely from the cotton industry and moved permanently to Blue Springs. He became one of Georgia's leading farmers and agricultural economists and shared his knowledge and success with other Georgia farmers through a program he developed called the100 Georgia Better Farms.

After a heart attack in1948, Cason and Virginia turned to their undeveloped property. After much planning, planting, and building, Callaway Gardens opened to the public in 1952. On April 12, 1961, Cason died in his home at Blue Springs. He worked until the day he died, completing a book manuscript, approving the final plans for the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel and finalizing plans for Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden.

Blount Coleman Ferrell

1816-1908

Blount, son of Bennett Ferrell and Julia Coleman, began his career as a teacher and lawyer. He was later Judge of Inferior Court (the county government); Georgia State Senator and Judge of Troup County Court. In 1842 he was a charter member of Union Lodge Free and Accepted Masons and was active in politics. He served on many boards, including Troup Factory, and he and Sarah devoted much attention to charitable works. His interest in his wife's gardening was extensive. He added several ponds and in 1866 planted seven pine trees, to commemorate the Battle of Seven Pines where one of his dearest friends died.

On several occasions he offered to sell “Ferrell Gardens” to the city for a public park and cemetery but the city never approved the purchase. It is reported that Blount expended over $40,000 in the development and care of the property. Following his death in 1908, the estate was allowed to deteriorate until it was purchased in 1911 by Fuller E. Callaway.

Alice Hinman (Hand) Callaway

1912-1998

Alice, daughter of Judson Larrabee Hand and Florence May Hollis, was born in Pelham, Georgia. Her sister, Virginia Hollis Hand, married Cason J. Callaway, brother of Fuller, Jr., in 1920. From that time on, Alice was a regular visitor to LaGrange where she fell in love with Fuller one evening while sitting in the garden at Hills & Dales Estate. In 1930, at age 17, she married Fuller. They had two children: Fuller E. Callaway, III and Ida Cason Callaway.

Alice and Fuller built a home on Vernon Road, just west of Hills & Dales Estate, called "Honeymoon Cottage". Following Ida's death in 1936, they moved to Hills and Dales and Alice, by then a young woman with two small children, inherited the care of Ferrell Gardens. It was a challenge which she met beyond all expectation. She would go on to live at Hills and Dales for sixty-two years, during which time she refined and expanded the gardens. She inherited a love of flowers while growing up at her home, "Highland Villa", an ornate Italianate-Victorian mansion in Pelham. Perhaps the most touching of her contributions was the curved sofa in the living room which is shaped to resemble the stone bench in the sunken garden where she fell in love with Fuller, Jr. Always interested in her heritage, Alice directed the creation of a fifteen acre family cemetery, and worked for over two years to prepare and publish an extensive family history.

For thirty years Alice was a Trustee of Callaway Foundation, Inc. and took active roles in many state and local organizations. She was instrumental in securing the historic home of Benjamin Harvey Hill, "Bellevue" (the only National Landmark in Troup County) for the LaGrange Woman's Club and traveled to New York to help procure the marble mantles, crystal chandeliers, and some furnishings for the restoration.

Her unexpected death, at home, on February 15, 1998 left a void in the community. It was her desire that Hills and Dales be preserved for the enrichment and enjoyment of the visiting public. It is therefore appropriate that the Hills & Dales Estate formally opened to the public on her birthday, October 4, 2004. Her memory is honored at the State Botanical Garden in Athens, Georgia where the Visitor Center is named for her.