SMYRNA, Ga. — As communities across the metro Atlanta area celebrated Juneteenth on Thursday, Smyrna officials celebrated a new garden in a historic space.
Channel 2’s Lori Wilson was in Smyrna to learn more about Matilda’s Garden, located near the Silver Comet Trail.
For Smyrna resident Patricia Burns, the story started decades ago.
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When Burns first moved into her historic home in Smyrna, she found a note card with names in her cupboard, and she knew even then that they had meaning.
“I knew in my bones that those names were important and that they had a story behind them,” Burns told Channel 2 Action News. “I can finally put Matilda to rest.”
That story, the story of Matilda Ruff, is what was celebrated at a recent dedication ceremony for “Matilda’s Garden.”
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The Jonquil Garden Club of Smyrna planned and planted a space at the Silver Comet Trailhead to honor a mother, who was enslaved and then finally freed.
It’s only been a few days since Matilda’s Garden was dedicated officially, but it’s already won local, regional and national awards because of its historic significance.
“Matilda mattered in history. Her resilience speaks volumes to who we are as Black people,” Michele Cox, Jonquil Garden Club of Smyrna president, said.
Angelia Pressley, a member of the Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge historic district, pushed for Matilda’s Garden to be planted and grown on the same ground where battles for freedom were fought.
Ruff’s name is now one that has physical roots in the community that will continue to bloom as more people learn about her.
Channel 2 Action News spoke to a descendant of Ruff’s at the dedication.
“I’m not sure how she felt about her life,” Tonyah Cotton, Ruff’s great-great-granddaughter, said. “But I know she feels good about the descendants.”
Matilda’s Garden can be visited at the Silver Comet Trailhead at 20 Concord Road. It will soon be included in tours of the historic area in Smyrna.
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