Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve

Harold Hatcher began his garden after his retirement and, in 1986, donated the 10-acre property to the citizens of Spartanburg through the Spartanburg County Foundation. The Spartanburg Men's Garden Club took a leadership role in creating a long-range plan for the garden. Under the guidance of the Spartanburg County Foundation, SMGC Club member Bob Almond headed a committee to create a non-profit board in 1998 with Club members, Tom Bartram and Linda McHam, holding positions on the first board.

Today, this board oversees the development of the garden. It employs an Executive Director and a staff horticulturist as well as additional staff. Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve is open dawn to dusk; there is no entrance fee. It is located at 832 John B. White, Sr., Blvd., Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Since 1986, SMGC has donated over $55,000 of capital improvements and approximately $30,000 in cash toward Hatcher Garden's operating expenses, not including various other contributions.

The capital improvements have included: a potting shed, later named the Jess Taylor Pavilion in honor of the lead SMGC member who oversaw its construction; an observation deck built in cooperation with the Garden Club Council; paved walkways and garden path re-surfacing; an entrance gateway; an equipment building near the Jess Taylor Pavilion; a gazebo; parking lot paving; benches and tables; an irrigation system; a green house; a John Deere tractor and attachments; the John Nevison Amphitheater; and a water meter, irrigation system, ground fabric, and back flow valve in the container area. In 2006, SMGC raised funds to create a stone memorial for Harold Hatcher.

From 2004 through the middle of 2010, SMGC paid the water bill for the container nursery shared by both Hatcher Garden and SMGC. On Plant Sale days, SMGC shared the cost of police security and publicity. In 2007, SMGC purchased a $3,000 label maker that it has shared with Hatcher Garden.

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The pavilion in the conifer garden, a great place for a quiet lunch.
June 2009. Photo by Linda McHam.