Lost Corner Preserve Opens March 17

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Sandy Springs, GA -- The city of Sandy Springs will officially open its newest park next month.

City leaders will host a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. March 17 for Lost Corner Preserve, which is located at 7300 Brandon Mill Road.

Lost Corner Preserve includes 24 acres of wildlife, horticulture and local history. Since 1821, the property remained under the ownership of just two families, until its transfer to the city in eight years ago.

The property was deeded to Sandy Springs by the property’s owner Peggy Miles in 2008. Her family originally moved onto the property in 1913; Fred Miles was an electrician and worked for Georgia Power selling electricity by the recently constructed Morgan Falls Hydroelectric Dam.

He and his wife, Nancy, built a bungalow style house, which was one of the first in the area to have electricity. The property was called Lost Corner because those who tried to find it often found themselves lost. The Miles’ had five children, and daughter Peggy grew up at Lost Corner and lived there until her death in 2008.

Friends of Lost Corner, a nonprofit created to help the city turn Lost Corner from home site to recreation area for residents, unofficially began in 2003 when nearby neighbors, Trisha Thompson Fox and Cheryl Barlow, began visiting Peggy Miles at Lost Corner.

Over the years, they developed a special bond with Miles, often chatting about the many animals and plants that lived at Lost Corner. During one of those visits, Miles relayed her desire to have Lost Corner preserved for future generations to enjoy. That wish was made true through efforts by Friends of Lost Corner, The Trust for Public Land, The Sandy Springs Conservancy, Fulton County Commissioner’s Office, The Georgia Land Conservation and the city of Sandy Springs.

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The land has remained largely unaltered, and the century-old bungalow style home of the Miles family has been renovated to provide space to accommodate community activities and private events.

A community garden was added to the property in late 2014 and in 2015, a greenhouse was installed, donated by the Mason family. The city installed a honeybee hive as part of an Urban Beekeeping initiative, also in 2015. A mile of slate-surfaced hiking trails was installed using a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Trail Fund and Sandy Springs Conservancy.

The city’s Recreation and Parks Department will oversee maintenance and operations. The park will be open daylight to dusk, with special times permitted related to facility/program use.

The cottage is open only for reserved use. Those wishing to rent the cottage need to submit that request by filling out the Recreation and Parks Event Questionnaire found on the city’s website.

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Image via Shutterstock