In 1920 Jesse Hyde purchased the land and brought his wife Lela and their family of 6 children by horse and wagon to their new home. Through the 1980's, two of Hyde's sons, JC and Buck, continued to farm in the traditional methods learned from their father and grandfather. Plowing with mules, hunting, growing sweet potatoes, corn, beans, okra, and potatoes, the Hyde brothers were largely self-sufficient. They sold their quality produce on the square in Marietta for decades. They continued using their well for drinking water and their potbellied stove for heat. While surrounding east Cobb County entered a furious building boom, the Hydes managed to preserve a peaceful, agrarian way of life that becomes a living picture of yesteryear to those who are fortunate enough to visit the farm in these years.

When Buck Hyde died in 1988, the Hyde family was faced with a huge inheritance tax. In order not to lose the farm, JC Hyde sold 40 acres of the family's beloved bottomlands to the Trust for Public Land for eventual inclusion in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. JC retained the right to farm all the land, unimpeded, until his death. The remaining 95 acres of the farm remained in JC's ownership with an agreement that Trust for Public Land would have first chance to buy the rest of the farm, if and when it should it be sold. JC Hyde died at home in early March 2004. Now the community, in partnership, with the Trust for Public Land is seeking to preserve the farm for recreation, education, and ecological purposes.

Hyde Farm: A Jewel in the Urban Fabric

Hyde Farm's size and location in populated suburban Atlanta makes it a rare gem of cultural and historical significance. In Atlanta, a city which is growing rapidly largely do to immigration, connections to the past are quickly being lost. If preserved, the farm will provide a unique place where the community can go not only to connect with nature, but also to food production. Without hands on experiences, urban and sub-urban children believe that food comes from a grocery store and availability is not effected by the seasons.

More importantly, Hyde Farm provides numerous services to the area. It is in an important area of the Chattahoochee watershed which provides drinking water for the City of Atlanta and surrounding areas. Developing this land could seriously affect the quality of the water in the Chattahoochee. Hyde Farm has acres of old-growth forest and provides wildlife habitat to fox, coyote, deer, songbirds, beaver, and other species whose habitat has been destroyed by development. Additionally, the Hyde farm plays a role in carbon sequestration and maintaining local air quality. If this land is converted to subdivisions, its crops will no longer turn carbon dioxide into organic matter and its trees will no longer remove fine particulates and pollutants from the air. In a city suffering from some of the worst air quality in the country and plowing under trees and open space at a faster rate than the Amazon, this farm is providing ecological services to the region and an important anchor to the community.

Our Challenge: A Call to Action

If Hyde Farm is to survive in a way that maintains its cultural, ecological, and educational integrity for all of our benefit, we must all pitch in. Right now your support is needed to help preserve Hyde Farm. The Trust for Public Lands and Friends of Hyde Farm are raising funds to save this 95-acre farm. We would love to see a response from our readers and supporters to contribute to this effort (your donations to TPL are tax-deductible). The urgency of this effort requires that a significant community effort and contribution be available for the purchase (which will also include funds from TPL and the State).

ifPeople has donated a portion of our carbon offset funds to help save Hyde Farm. We ask you to join us in preserving this local treasure. For more information visit www.savehydefarm.org . If we have motivated you to give your time or donate to this cause, please also let us know.

**Images courtesy of www.savehydefarm.org"