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                                           Garden Features

  Pioneer Pathway Memorial

The Dothan Area Botanical Gardens is still a very young institution as public
gardens go. The land was purchased in 1994 and the first construction on that
property was the brick entrance in 1996.  An early fundraiser was the
PIONEER PATHWAY project in 1999-2000 in which nineteen individuals,
families, and businesses contributed nearly $50,000 to fund the paving of the
pathway at the Gardens. In October of 2005, a commemorative marker
consisting of an engraved bronze plaque attached to a massive natural rock
was placed to honor those donors.  Located beneath a large oak tree near
the intersection of the path at the Camellia Garden, this marker is an impressive tribute to these PIONEER
PATHWAY founders.  Be sure to check it out on your next trip to the gardens. 

 

The Tree of Life


    The individuals, families and organizations whose names are listed below
   made it possible for the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens to retire the debt
   on the property in 1997--an important step in the Garden's Long Term Plan.
   In tribute to this group, their names are now engraved on the Tree of Life
   monument located between the entrance tent and the Michelin Pond.
     
 

                         Rebirth of an Historical Landmark
 
      For years a landmark on Highway 53, from Dothan to Cottonwood, was the Wilson Windmill, located on the estate of Sidney and Caroline Wilson.  This was an historical landmark used to describe, or mark, the area as a point of reference.   The windmill was erected on the Wilson farm in the early 1930's and pumped water for domestic and farm use.  Upon their deaths, the windmill was donated to the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens.
      The windmill had been out of service for a number of years and required locating parts to put it back in working condition.  After much research on the internet needed parts were found and through the efforts of individuals and local businesses, the windmill was erected at the Gardens on April 30, 2002.  It is again a working windmill, pumping water in a small replica of an animal watering trough.  The water runs out of the trough into a hose down to the Michelin Pond.
      Special recognition goes to the following individuals for their efforts in restoring and erecting the windmill:  Edward Branton, Purnell Chancey, Tommy Ricketts, Earl and Keith Suggs, and Charles Dye.  Businesses that donated equipment or services were:  Smith & Sons Well Digging, Lewis-Smith Supply, BMI Automation, Inc., Couch Ready Mix USA, Quality Lumber and Millworks, Inc., Fastener Services, Inc., Durden Outdoor Display, Inc., and Cains Iron & Metal.
The DABG especially wants to thank John and Dorcas Herrin, relatives of the Wilson's, for their contribution in moving the Wilson Windmill to the Gardens.