Couple sells 141-acres to aid green space initiative

LITHONIA - S.B. Vaughters and his wife, Rebecca, didn&#39;t want to see their 141-acres of farmland eventually become an office park. Instead, they&#39;ve sold it to the state to help a green space initiative in DeKalb County. <br> <br> The rolling hills lined with century-old oaks and rare granite outcroppings is thought to be the last working farm in DeKalb. In 1946, Vaughters paid $4,230 for the land to raise cattle. Since then, the couple sold the livestock and let the gardens go. They now lease the property to a truck driver who cuts hay to sell. <br> <br> The 90-year-old Dawsonville native said he agreed to the appraised $2.8 million for his farm ``so it would stay like it is.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``Nearly all the rest of DeKalb County is covered up with homes and businesses,&#39;&#39; Vaughters told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently. ``You can drive from Lithonia to Dunwoody and not find a piece of open land. I didn&#39;t want that here.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The state will lease the land to DeKalb County for ``a nominal fee,&#39;&#39; according to Paul Michael, chief of real estate for the state Department of Natural Resources. Officials plan to complete the sale within the next few months as part of a green space initiative supporters hope will connect Arabia Mountain Park and Panola Mountain State Park. <br> <br> The farmland located near Evans Mill Road, isn&#39;t far from retail and commercial development surrounding the Mall at Stonecrest. <br> <br> ``If Mr. Vaughters had not been willing to do this, it would have become a subdivision, no question about it,&#39;&#39; said Kelly Jordan, president of the Arabia Mountain Alliance. <br> <br> Granddaughter Beth Henley, 28, of Conyers agreed. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re going to miss knowing that it&#39;s there,&#39;&#39; she said. ``We did most of our growing up at the farm. But we&#39;re glad it&#39;s going to be preserved, and it won&#39;t be a big neighborhood or shopping center.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> State officials also plan to build a park ranger&#39;s station on the current site of the Vaughters&#39; two-bedroom ranch house. Vaughters built it for $2,200 in 1947 with the help of family members and a seventh-grader hired from a nearby school, according to his autobiography, ``Real Life Experiences,&#39;&#39; published in 1989. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m glad I held on this long, so others can take advantage of it,&#39;&#39; he said. ``But I&#39;m going to miss it, for sure.&#39;&#39; <br> <br>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199881