Catherine Fleming wants to restore her grandfather’s vision. Not just for herself, but for generations to come.
On Saturday, Fleming invited the public to share that vision as she opened the Bath Gardens for the first time.
“My grandfather bought the property in 1958 and by 1964, he’d developed and built the gardens,” she said.
The site was based on a village her grandfather, Alonzo Plumb “Lonnie” Boardman Sr. had visited in Austria. With the village, he created lavish gardens.
After his death in 1972, the property still remained in the family, but it wasn’t until Fleming inherited it in 2018 that she decided to restore it. During that time, it became overgrown.
Bath, Ga. is located about 20 minutes from Augusta. In the 1800s and early 1900s, about 18 summer homes were built in Bath. Only one remains – the McNatt-Green-Burdell house. It was once a tea house and notable guests included President William Howard Taft and John D. Rockefeller, according to a newsletter from the Bath Gardens Foundation.
Boardman’s gardens became famous and were recognized in national and local sources of the day.
Fleming remembers visiting the gardens as a child, and she said she wishes she’d paid more attention to the stories her grandparents told.
Saturday was to give people a glimpse to the spot which Fleming could see as a venue for outdoor weddings and special events. She could see families bringing their children just to get in nature. Painters and writers could get inspired there, and book and garden clubs could have meetings. She could see it serving as a movie set for some of the films that are shot in the area.
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When Fleming started restoring the property in 2018, she imagined it might have been as it had when her grandfather first bought it. She’s done a lot of work on site, but she said much more needs to be done.
The site has many of the original plantings, which despite not having been tended to in six decades are thriving, she said.
The Bath Gardens on 3855 Bath Edie Rd. in Blythe will be open again from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24. An antique sale, activities for children, a hayride with Fleming giving a history of the property and a lunch by Sconyers are part of the scheduled events.
Fleming has big plans for the site and hopes this is just the first opportunity for people to see it and be part of its revitalization.
To learn more, visit bathgardensfoundation.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
