Sweetwater Creek State Park facts for kids

Sweetwater Creek, which the park is named after.

Sweetwater Creek State Park is a large park in Georgia, covering about 2,549 acres (10.32 square kilometers). It's located in east Douglas County, not far from downtown Atlanta. The park gets its name from Sweetwater Creek, which flows right through it.

Long ago, the Cherokee people lived here. They were later forced to leave their homes. This area then became home to the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a mill and a small town. During the American Civil War, the Union Army burned down the mill and its store. The women and children who worked there were taken away and sent to places like Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana as refugees.

Sweetwater became an official state park in 1972. This happened thanks to the hard work of the Georgia Conservancy, an environmental group. The park offers many things to do, like walking and hiking trails, a lake called George Sparks Reservoir, a visitor center, and shops. You can also see the old ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company.

The Visitor Center has cool displays. You can see items from Native Americans, things from the Civil War, and even stuffed animals and birds. The park is full of different plants and animals, interesting rocks, and a rich history. The park's main goal is to protect its environment for everyone, now and in the future. They do this using smart methods like special ponds, solar panels, green roofs, and composting toilets.

Park History

Cherokee Lands and Lotteries

The land where Sweetwater Creek State Park is today once belonged to the Cherokee people. A legend says that "Sweetwater" comes from the name of a Cherokee Chief, Ama-Kanasta. In 1819, the state of Georgia wanted this land and asked the U.S. government to remove the Cherokee. This request was turned down at first.

However, in 1827, Georgia began to divide up the Cherokee lands using lotteries. In 1829, the new president, Andrew Jackson, supported Georgia. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court said Georgia couldn't stop the Cherokee government, Georgia went ahead. In 1831, Georgia's government arranged for all Cherokee land to be checked and given away by lottery. By 1838, federal troops forced about 20,000 Cherokee people to leave Georgia and Alabama. They were made to walk west to Oklahoma on a sad journey known as the Trail of Tears.

One piece of land, Lot 929, was won by Philip J. Crask in the 1832 Gold Lottery. He paid a small fee for it. Later, in 1837, this land was sold at an auction to John Boyle. In 1845, Boyle sold it for much more money to Charles J. McDonald, a former governor of Georgia, and Colonel James Rogers.

New Manchester Mill

In 1846, Rogers and McDonald started building a mill powered by water along Sweetwater Creek. By December 21, 1849, their five-story mill was working. They called their business Sweetwater Manufacturing Company. It made cotton, yarn, and fabric. In 1858, McDonald changed the company's name to New Manchester Manufacturing Company. He named it after Manchester, England, which was a big center for making textiles. By 1860, the factory was producing a lot of cotton every day. This cotton was turned into yarn and a type of cloth called osnaburg.

Civil War and the Mill

In the summer of 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War, the Confederate Army moved away from the Chattahoochee River. This left the New Manchester factory unprotected from the Union Army. On July 2, 1864, Union soldiers arrived at the factory. They had orders to stop its work and arrest all the employees.

The ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company today.

A few days later, on July 9, 1864, following orders from General William Tecumseh Sherman, the Union soldiers burned down the New Manchester mill and its general store.

The Mill Workers

The mill workers who were arrested were taken to Marietta. There, they joined other mill prisoners, forming a group of about 600 people. All of them were women and children. There were no adult male workers at the mill when it was captured. The men were away fighting for the Confederacy in the battles around Atlanta.

The women mill workers were accused of being disloyal. They were held for a week at the Georgia Military Institute. After that, the women and children were sent by train, many to Louisville, Kentucky, and others to Indiana. These towns were already full of people needing help, so the mill workers struggled to survive. Many faced hunger or cold. Some found work in a new mill that opened in 1865. We don't know what happened to many of these women, but most who survived stayed in the North. Only a few ever returned to Georgia.

Mill Ruins Today

The old mill ruins are still there and are protected by Sweetwater Creek State Park. The park was created to save these ruins and the beautiful area around them. Today, you can still see the brick walls of the mill and the channel that once brought water to its water wheel.

Biodiversity

Sweetwater Creek State Park is home to many different kinds of animals.

Birds

Here are some of the birds you might see:

American crow
American goldfinch
American kestrel
American robin
barred owl
belted kingfisher
bobwhite
brown thrasher (This is the state bird of Georgia!)
chimney swift
common grackle
common nighthawk
Cooper's hawk
eastern bluebird
eastern towhee
golden eagle
great blue heron
great horned owl
northern cardinal
northern flicker
red-bellied woodpecker
red-headed woodpecker
red-shouldered hawk
red-tailed hawk
red-winged blackbird
ruby-throated hummingbird
screech owl
sharp-shinned hawk
starling
summer tanager
Swainson’s thrush
white-throated sparrow
wood thrush
yellow-bellied sapsucker

Mammals

You might also spot these mammals:

Reptiles

And here are some of the reptiles living in the park:

Geology

How the Rocks Formed

The rocks at Sweetwater Creek State Park tell a long story about Earth's history. This story has three main parts: how sediments were laid down, how rocks changed under heat and pressure, and how the land lifted up and wore away.

Laying Down Sediments

The rocks you see at the park today started forming at least 450 million years ago. They began as layers of mud, sand, and gravel. This was like the coast of Georgia is today, where new layers are constantly added on top of older ones. Over time, these layers were covered by lava from volcanoes. Then, thousands more feet of sediments piled on top of the lava.

Changing Rocks and Folding

About 450 million years ago, the weight of all these sediments became huge. Then, the land started to push together from the sides. This caused the temperature and pressure to rise deep underground. The heat and pressure changed the original mud, sand, and gravel into new, harder rocks like mica schist, quartzite, and amphibolite. This process is called metamorphism. During this time, the rocks also got squeezed and bent into folds. There were two periods of this folding in the park's history. The immense pressure also caused the rocks to crack and break.

Lifting Up and Wearing Away

For about 200 million years, the rocks continued to lift, fold, and break. As the land rose, streams and rivers began to carve out the landscape. Water slowly dissolved parts of the rocks and carried away sediments. This process of wearing away, called erosion, is still happening today. Because of erosion, rocks that were once miles deep underground are now visible at the Earth's surface in the park.

Protecting the Environment

The main goal of Sweetwater Creek State Park is to keep Georgia's natural, historical, and cultural treasures safe for everyone, now and in the future. Using the park's resources wisely is important so that people can enjoy outdoor activities and learn about nature. Protecting the park is especially important because the city of Atlanta is growing fast. This growth can create an urban heat island, where cities get hotter because of all the concrete and asphalt. Trees and green spaces in parks help cool things down.

The Visitor Center, a Platinum LEED certified building.

In 1998, the Chattahoochee River, which is nearby, was named one of America's most endangered rivers. This is because city growth causes a lot of pollution to run into the river when it rains. One of the park's goals is to protect the rivers and the fish that live in them. As more people visit the park, it creates challenges like worn-down trails and litter. The park offers programs for people to help, like river cleanups, waste management, trail maintenance, and recycling.

The Visitor Center

The park's Visitor Center was built in 2006 with a special design to help the environment. It's a 9,000 square foot building that cost $1.5 million to build. The Visitor Center has received the highest award for green buildings, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification. In 2007, it was one of only twenty platinum-rated buildings in the world and the first in the Southeast!

This building has a very small impact on the environment:

It uses 77% less water.
It uses 51% less electricity.
80% of its construction waste was recycled instead of going to a landfill.
It doesn't cause more stormwater runoff after it was built.
83% of the inside spaces get natural light from the sun.

The building is built into a hillside to blend in with the land. To help cool the area and reduce water runoff, two of the building's roofs are planted with native plants. These are called green roofs and are about 12 inches deep.

The building is designed to let the sun warm the inside in winter but keep it cool in summer. The north side has special windows that let in indirect sunlight. The south side has shelves that bounce light deeper into the building. For lighting, the building uses special sensors that turn lights on when people are there or when it's dark. About 20% of the building's electricity comes from solar panels. These panels are placed on the long side of the building to get the most sunlight. The building saves a lot of energy each year, which means less carbon pollution.

The Visitor Center uses the existing parking lot to avoid disturbing more land. The park also has special ponds that help prevent flooding and filter rainwater with water plants. The building was made using recycled materials like steel and aluminum. They also used local materials like masonry stucco and fly-ash concrete to save fuel by not having to transport materials from far away. To save water, the park collects rainwater, has a composting toilet that doesn't use drinking water, and uses waterless urinals and pervious concrete that lets water soak through.

What You Can Do at the Park

Facilities

The park covers 2,549 acres.
There's a 215-acre lake.
A Visitor Center with a museum.
Two fishing docks.
Playgrounds for kids.
11 picnic shelters for meals outdoors.
5 campsites for tents.
10 yurts (which are like fancy tents for "glamping").
A group shelter and BBQ pit.
Benches along Sweetwater Creek.

Activities

Hiking on 9 miles (14.5 km) of trails.
Fishing in the lake and stream (only electric boat motors allowed).
Renting canoes and fishing boats.
Picnicking with family and friends.
Educational programs about nature and history.

Annual Events

Ruins and Rapids Full Moon Hike (September through December)
New Manchester Days Festival and Arts & Crafts Show (September)
A Walk Through Time: Sweetwater Valley 75 Years Ago (September)
SweetH20 50K Trail Race (Spring)

Images for kids

George Sparks Reservoir
Informational Sign
Informational Sign
New Manchester Mill Ruins overlook

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Sweetwater Creek State Park Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.