The Overlook Park at Morgan Falls

SSC has had a long-standing interest in the Morgan Falls area (see our accomplishments below).  Our original “Great Park plans are now the basis of the City’s new Overlook Park at Morgan Falls.  During preparation for construction, the City uncovered an old homesite and standing chimney on the bluff above the river.  Plans were to bulldoze the area. Stacked Stone Chimney at Morgan Falls

Many thought the old chimney was special.  Was it worth preserving or not?  We couldn’t be sure.  We knew the site might date back to the early 1800s when settlers, such as the Power Family, came into the river valley.  

SSC took the initiative to commission an architectural/historical study and an archaeological assessment.  Our interest was to document the site’s history and provide City decision makers with information about the standing chimney.  The reports were delivered to the City on August 17th, per City Council request.  The City Council will make a decision by mid-September to stabilize the chimney in its current spot, keeping its historical value or rebuild it elsewhere in the park. You can read both reports here.

In summary, the reports:

  • Dated the chimney and original homesite to about 1839 when Joseph Power gave his son, William, the property with a house on it.Confirmed the existence of a secondary river ferry run by the Power Family at the Morgan Falls site
  • Documented the exceptional construction of the standing chimney, made of local stone and little mortar
  • Documented other features of the homesite including a well, second chimney, a road trace to the river

The new Overlook Park at Morgan Falls will be our first riverside park and a welcome addition to the City park system.  SSC first envisioned the park in 2001, before City incorporation and made the following contributions:

  • 2003 - Secured grants and produced a Morgan Falls Great Park Master Plan and Bridge Feasibility Study (link to Projects/ Bike/Ped Bridge). 
  • 2005 - Completed the site plan, design and construction drawings for the proposed pavilion and gate areas, and initiated the federally-required environmental assessment for the kayak/canoe dock.  (We gave these to the City as the basis for the larger Overlook Park plan.)
  • Secured a grant and purchased the new kayak/canoe dock
  • 2009 - Commissioned the Historical and Architectural Evaluation of Morgan Falls Standing Chimney by Lord Aeck & Sargent
  • Commissioned the Archaeological Assessment of Morgan Falls Home Site & Chimney by New South Associates
To view the current park plans, from the City’s home page at www.sandyspringsga.org, click on Overlook Park Update.