This 114-acre farm was bought by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2002, just two years before Mr. Vaughters passed away. The farm is now part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and is surrounded by the Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve on the west, south, and part of the north side.
Vaughters Barn
Vaughters' Farm: A Piece of History
Mr. Vaughters bought the farm in 1946 for $3,250 and built the barn himself in 1947. The Vaughters family lived in a stone house across Klondike Road from the barn. In 2014, the house was renovated to become the office for the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. The PATH trail passes by the open meadow and barn. For 30 years, Mr. Vaughters raised Jersey dairy cows and Angus beef cattle. He sold his last cattle in 1997 and then began growing and selling hay.
Mr. Vaughters, who also taught at Murphey Candler School, built the family home with local granite, and a seventh-grade student helped him with the work.
Photo credit: Atlanta Journal Constitution - Mr. Vaughters on his farm in 2002
The farm also includes the headwaters of Stephenson Creek, which flows into the South River. Vaughters' Farm is now part of Panola Mountain State Park and the headquarters of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Just south of the picnic area below the farm, there’s a small waterfall that appears after rain.
Before selling the farm to Panola Mountain State Park in 2002, Mr. Vaughters told an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter, “Nearly all of DeKalb County is covered with homes and businesses. You can drive from Lithonia to Dunwoody and not find a piece of open land. I didn’t want that here.” His wish came true, and today, the white barn where he bred horses and raised cattle is an important symbol along the bike and hiking path on Klondike Road.
Since the sale, the farmhouse, which Mr. Vaughters built in 1946, had been empty. The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance made a long-term agreement with Georgia State Parks to use the farmhouse for offices and community space. However, first, the house needed repairs to make it usable. "Rehabilitating the Vaughters farmhouse was always part of the larger vision for the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area," said Mera Cardenas, Executive Director of the Arabia Alliance. "We’re honored to help save this historic house and preserve the land, and we’re excited to make it the center of the National Heritage Area for many years to come."
The care Mr. Vaughters put into building the house is still clear today. It was made with wood from the farm and stone from nearby quarries. Many of the original features were kept during the renovation, including two bookcase nooks built into the walls, the red oak hardwood floors, the original wood doors and windows, and even the kitchen cabinets. They also saved the aluminum awnings protecting the windows and a cookie tin used to cover the stove vent. “We wanted to make the house comfortable while keeping the special, historic features that make it unique,” said Cardenas.
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