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Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve, a ten-acre green space contains a native oak/hickory forest, a series of ponds and babbling brooks, perennial display beds and a grassy front lawn. There is a tremendous population of songbirds, a family of mallards and red shouldered hawks, small mammals including squirrels and chipmunks, four different varieties of turtles, frogs, fish and the occasional raccoon and possum. All of this within the city limits!
But it wasn’t always this way. Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve began as a backyard gardening project of Harold and Josephine Hatcher in 1969. When they retired from their careers in social service work, they moved to Spartanburg to be near their daughter. They began gardening and soon ran out of room. They approached a neighbor about buying their backyard, a ravine filled with ivy, old bedsprings and a refrigerator. It was an easy sell and the Hatchers expanded. Soon after, they found themselves out of room. So to another neighbor they went about their ravine-riddled backyard. Over the course of 30 years they acquired 10 acres from their backyard to Reidville Road, now John B. White, Sr. Boulevard. Much of the land was in ruin: erosion from the former cotton fields had robbed the soil of its nutrients. Some of the property had rental houses on it. This rental income was the major funding source for this couples gardening habit.
Not long after the Hatchers acquired the majority of the property, the pine beetle devastated over 200 pine trees. Harold felled these trees and used the logs for erosion control in the ravines. He began planting hardwoods and shrubs native to this area. Others joined the Hatchers in their gardening efforts. The Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club became involved very early on and provided time, sweat and dollars. Harold Hatcher was very active in the club. He helped with fundraising for the club by growing trees. The Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club has planted thousands of trees around town and raised and sold thousands more to home owners. Spartanburg Garden Club Council became involved and assisted with planting and care. Others joined their efforts including the local Master Gardener program. The Hatchers opened their backyard garden for the public to enjoy. Their dream was to provide a place where the public could come for inspiration, enjoyment and education through the study of nature. Visitors would park in their driveway and wander through their oasis of azaleas, rhododendron and oak trees. Most often, visitors would receive a guided tour by one of the Hatchers.
When Mr. Hatcher was in his 80’s, he began to think about the long term future of the Garden. He gave the property to a local foundation so it would be protected in perpetuity, but continued the day-to-day management of the Garden. When he got into his 90’s, a group of citizens came together to think about what would happen when he was no longer managing the Garden. They spent a year considering the question, “does Spartanburg need a public garden?” The answer they came up with was a resounding, “Yes!” These citizens became the Garden’s first Board of Trustees in 1998. Though Mr. & Mrs. Hatcher have passed away, today many volunteers donate countless hours each year to keep the Garden growing and their dream alive.
Last year over 3,500 school children visited the Garden as part of an outdoor classroom experience. From preschools to our local colleges’ biology and botany classes, students find a variety of subjects to study in Spartanburg’s public garden. Some go on a scavenger hunt for tree bark rubbings and animal tracks and others explore the aquatic plantings and wildflower collection. The students are always amazed by the wildlife in the Garden. Just a few dozen steps from the road the sounds of song birds fill the air. Frogs jump into ponds while fish and turtles duck out of the way. Caterpillars and beetles race across the walkway while chipmunks scamper away. John Green, Director of the Spartanburg Science Center, says, “Hatcher Garden is an oasis in the middle of the city. Wildlife is being forced out of neighborhoods and this garden is providing for them.” The Garden has a circulating pond system, a canopy of deciduous trees, an under story of shrubs and grasses and plenty of natural food sources along with birdfeeders. There are also specific “garden rooms” including a Carolina Fence Garden, a Medicinal Garden and a Woodland Wildflower Garden. Coming soon will be an Ericaceous collection which will include azaleas, rhododendron, wild blueberries and sourwood. (Story courtesy of Joe Mullinax, Executive Director Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve. Photos provided by Hatcher Gardens.)
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