Henderson County Garden Club , she introduced the idea of an arboretum in East Texas .
The group continued to grow and they contacted the Horticulture Department at Trinity Valley Community College , as well as other individuals , for ideas and direction while combining their own various talents and common vision .
Magness created by-laws , applied for approval of Articles of Incorporation , and submitted an application to become a 501 ( c )( 3 ) organization and in July 1991 , ETABS became incorporated .
Soon after , a Board of Directors was appointed that included Fred Assmussen , Theo Daniel , Margie Ditmar , Jan Huffstutler , Sam Hurley , Lois Magness , Mary Ann Peryman , Louis Reeg , and Douglas Tanner . The group would meet at the Spanish Trace and each board member would donate $ 20 at each meeting for postage and printing and in 1993 , the group only had $ 300 in the bank .
The Board pushed forward and searched for a suitable arboretum site with the help of long-time realtor James Fielden . The group ’ s ideal location would include rolling hills , meadows , dense woods marshes , and spring-fed streams . Once the site was found , which was actually a former truck farm , it was walked over five times by Margie Ditmar before she mentioned it to the rest of the Board .
Bill Rose of the Texas Forest Service accompanied Ditmar on one of these times and both thought they were on to something extraordinary , even though while they were on this trip an audible hiss in a gas line was discovered .
“ Despite this ,” says Ditmar , “ even Bill got excited about the site .”
The Board agreed on a buying price and the purchase of the land was concluded in August 1993 on Patterson Road in Athens . Fielden even waived his commission and to this day many will say that he played an instrumental role in obtaining the current
Photo by Jennifer Browning The Henderson County Veterans Memorial Wall is dedicated to all veterans , both living and deceased , who were enlisted in Henderson County or were natives of the area .
property .
The note on the property was to be paid in annual installments and if any were missed the seller would get the land back . So the Board spoke with Bill Key , president at First State Bank at the time .
Key was so impressed with the prospect of the Arboretum being a viable addition to the quality of life for Athens and East Texas , that he personally donated $ 1,000 and established a bank note for the remaining balance .
According to Doug Tanner , who also served as Board president at one time , “ Every year when payment on the note came due , the First State Bank and First National Bank came up with the payment for the note or supplemented what we lacked .”
The land note was substantially reduced through private donations . Once the property note was paid off , it was burned in a ceremony Oct . 4 , 2000 .
Key continued to serve as inspiration for the board and Key ’ s mother , who was a member of the Athens Garden Club , also provided valuable assistance in the development of the arboretum . In addition to Fielden and Key , Johnny Brown was another
Greater Athens Magazine | October 2022 | 7 gentleman who deserves credit for making the arboretum a reality .
During the first three years of ownership , very little progress was made on the land as keeping the vision before the public eye was top priority and an extensive membership drive was conducted .
When you visit the ETABS in 2022 , you will notice many of the additions that have been made since its creation such as the brick entryway that was constructed in 1995 and a pavilion that was completed in 1998 .
The first spring fair was hosted on May 8 , 1999 and the following May , the ETABS hosted the first wine tasting / dinner fundraiser . In 2001 , the parking lot was donated and constructed by Adams Brothers and the water garden was given by the Newman Stirman family .
The Bushrod Wofford house , donated by the Cain family , was moved from the ancestral property in Fincastle to the arboretum . By 2003 , the Wofford house restoration was completed with an ADA ramp and brick walkways . Also in 2003 , the 115-foot suspension bridge dedicated to Bob McDonald was completed .
The Texas Association of Botan-