Mrs. O.H. Parnell and Mrs. Joe Johnson beautify the rockery
photo by Sam Hall, Chattanoogahistory.com
Cameron Hill Garden Club parade float
List of Cameron Hill Garden Club members for 1932-33
Rest of list of Garden Club members from Cameron Hill
Meeting of the Cameron Hill Garden Club at the home of Mrs. Ernest Holmes
Christmas party at the Holmes residence
The Cameron Hill Garden Club lasted much longer than the famed hill itself. After Urban Renewal knocked down all the homes of the garden club members, the dwindling survivors kept meeting for many years from their displaced quarters.
The club was started around 1920 with Sarah (Mrs. Joe R. Johnson) as the main organizer. She remained a mainstay of the club for many years.
The Cameron Hill Garden Club had numerous meetings - mainly in the homes of members, but sometimes at Boynton Park. They helped keep the park attractive and pushed for better playground equipment. They passed a resolution seeking to preserve the Nottingham house.
One of the largest projects was the construction of a rockery on the steep slope at a sharp curve near the fire hall. The fire fighters themselves got involved. Walter "Browny" Marks came up with a waterfall feature and others jumped in as well for the fence and other items. Mrs. Johnson and other volunteers worked tirelessly to install plants in between the rocks - some weighing as much as a thousand pounds (the rocks, not the plants).
Mrs. D.P. Montague drove by, checked out what was going on, and quickly returned with 1,000 tiny alyssum plants. Another gave a rare wildflower.
After the demise of Cameron Hill, remarkably the members did not quit meeting. They had regular get-togethers in their new abodes for many years. The last one was 1980 when only five were still coming.
Mrs. G.A. Ott, a member who had just turned 101, wrote to her fellow members, "Cameron club, we have no Garden now. We have no Hill. All we have is precious memories, we from time to time unfold memories of happy hours with friends and flowers, beautifying Cameron Hill that has been carted away - a vacancy to fill in the freeway."