Dunaway in Winter
COWETA GARDEN
Written and Photographed by EMILY ROSE WALKER
Dunaway Gardens, a historic venue that first opened in the midst of the Great Depression, is located in Roscoe, about six miles north of Newnan. With 25 acres of lush gardens and trails, it’s a magical place where you can walk for hours and enjoy the silence away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The Great Pool at Dunaway Gardens was originally carved out as a swimming pool for Hetty Jane Dunaway.
Owner Jennifer Bigham, left, and her son, Director of Operations Josh Fisher, relish life at the gardens.
Stairs lead to the Great Pool.
The Glass Haus provides a climate-controlled venue space amidst the greenery.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the gardens were established at the family plantation of Wayne P. Sewell whose wife, Hetty Jane Dunaway, founded the venue in 1934 as a training ground for theatrical artists. Performers, producers and directors traveled to Coweta County in the 1930s and ’40s to train or relax here. Big names who spent ample time at Dunaway Gardens include Walt Disney and Minnie Pearl.
After its Hollywood heyday, the gardens were left unattended, and eventually vines and kudzu covered the once-pristine rock and floral gardens.
About 20 years ago, Jennifer Bigham purchased the property and her family brought it back to life, peeling away choking vines to uncover the garden’s stone waterfalls, hand-laid rock paths, staircases and spring-fed ponds with a mission to sustain the garden’s unique ecosystem. Dunaway Gardens reopened in 2005 as a venue for weddings, receptions and other social gatherings. Its newest addition, the Glass Haus, opened last summer as a climate-controlled, covered gathering spot with a 100-foot-long wall of glass.