Claude A. Black papers, 1965-1985

Summary

Creator:
Black, Claude A. (Claude Aubrey), 1903-1986
Date:
1965-1985
Extent:
8.1 Linear Feet 17 document boxes, 13 oversized folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Claude A. Black papers, ms2473, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains research notes, correspondence, printed material relating to the gardens, the Lecontes, garden club activities, and Black's efforts at conservation.

Biographical / historical:

Claude A. Black was a U.S. Army officer and horticulturist, of Savannah, Ga.

The Botanical and Floral Garden at Woodmanston were designed by Louis Leconte, father of the famous Leconte brothers, pioneers in the sciences in the United States. In July 1971, Clermont Lee, a coastal naturalist, introduced Black to the gardens and their plight. The family's home at Woodmanston had been destroyed many years earlier, but Black hoped that much of the vegetation could be rescued from the growth that had covered it. Black found some remains of the garden's species in November, including a rare camellia japonica. He immediately moved to stop clear-cutting of the Woodmanston lands by its lessor the Brunswick Pulp and Paper Co. A provisional committee formed in January 1972 under the sponsorship of the Liberty County Historical Society. The gardens were placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and in 1977 the paper company signed their lease over to the Nature Conservancy.

The ecological and historical value of Leconte-Woodmanston caused Black to devote over a decade of work to its benefit. The correspondence ends in 1985, with plans for Woodmanston very sketchy and Black's health failing.

Custodial history:

Gift of Colonel Black's widow, Virginia Norton Black.

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

Claude A. Black papers, ms2473, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.