Harry M. Atkinson
Original Owner
Henry M. Atkinson purchased 31 acres and set out to build the Mayfair estate. Atkinson was Harvard graduate who became one of Atlanta’s most influential business men. Atkinson owned Georgia Electric Light Co, which later became Georgia Power with Atkinson as the President and Chairman of the board.
He also owned Georgia Railway and Power which had a monopoly on electric streetcars across Atlanta. In 1920 there were 94.6 million passengers that rode on Atkinson’s Streetcars. Among his many business ventures was his love of athletics. He went on to own the first baseball team in town, the Atlanta Crackers and built the Ponce De Leon ballpark. Atkinson, along with his wife May, were a notable part of the Atlanta social scene, hosting many events at the Mayfair estate.
Golf Legacy
Charles B. McDonald (“Father of American Golf”), Henry M. Atkinson, Bobby Jones.
In 1904 Henry Atkinson provided 187 acres for the construction of the East Lake Golf Club. The oldest and most storied golf course in Atlanta. The current board room at East Lake is named “The Atkinson Room” in Henry’s honor.
The most famous member of East Lake Golf Club is Bobby Jones. At age 6 Bobby Jones was teaching himself to play golf there by mimicking the swing of the clubs pro Stewart Maiden. Atkinson and Jones developed a mentorship and close personal friendship. In 1932 Atkinson was instrumental in helping Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts establish the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club.
Atkinson’s close relationship to Bobby Jones led to Jones being appointed to the Board of Directors of the Southern Company (Georgia Power).
Henry Atkinson, at the urging of his wife May, convinced Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones not to tear down the old Berckmans house, but rather to save it and use it as the Clubhouse.
Original Berckmans vs. Proposed Augusta National Clubhouse
In a letter to Bobby Jones, Atkinson wrote :
“We both were greatly impressed with the avenue of magnolias leading up to the old Berckmans residence.”
His request to save these magnolias, is what led to what we now know as Magnolia Lane.
“We think that all of that, including the house, ought to be preserved carefully. It can be made a perfect gem, using the old house for a club house. You could not reproduce what is there for any amount of money.”
Atlanta Crackers Baseball
In 1907 Atkinson bought the Atlanta Crackers baseball team and built a new stadium at the Ponce De Leon Springs Park. The team’s success was largely credited to the their President John Heisman. Infamous athlete & coach who is the name sake of the “Heisman Trophy”.
In April 1949 the Atlanta Crackers played the first integrated baseball game in Atlanta against the Brooklyn Dodgers. A sold out crowd of more than 25,000 left only stand room to witness Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella breakdown color barriers.
Ponce De Leon Springs Park
Jackie Robinson
John Heisman
Anne May Peters Atkinson
Anna May Peters (1868-1944) wife of Henry Atkinson, came from a storied family. Her great grandfather Richard Peters (1744-1828) was a Philadelphia lawyer that served as a Captain for in the Revolutionary War. He was appointed to the Continental Congress in 1779. George Washington appointed Peters in 1792 as a judge of the United States District Court.
Anna May’s father, Richard Peters III, was a Founder of the Atlanta. He large land holder and was instrumental in renaming Marthasville to Atlanta in 1845. After the Civil War Peters was a key figure in the Reconstruction of Atlanta. He started the first street railway called Atlanta Street Railway Co, with George Adair. In 1885 he donated land to help establish Georgia School of Technology.
Beyond his business achievements, Atkinson left a lasting mark on Atlanta’s social and architectural landscape. In 1929, he commissioned the renowned firm Cooper & Cooper to build Mayfair House. It was designed as a grand Greek Revival estate in Buckhead and named for both his wife and daughter, who were both named May. Atkinson gifted the Mayfair House to his daughter May Peters Atkinson and husband Jackson Porter Dick Jr. The house went on to be one of Atlanta’s most celebrated gathering places for decades.
Sources:
“Southern Golf Association The First Hundred Years”, by Gene Pearce published 2004
“My Unusual Game, Adventures in Golf” by David Owen published 1996
Atlanta History Center, Kenan Research Center
“East Lake has Century-Plus Connection to Golf” Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan 29, 2018
“Atkinson Room” Eastlakegolfclub.com
“A Legacy of Leadership”, Georgia Historical Society
“Henry M. Atkinson”, “Atlanta Crackers”, New Georgia Encyclopedia
“Directors and Stockholders Meeting Minutes”, Kenan Research Center
“A Winning History”crackerbaseball.com
“A Lasting Imprint” SouthernCompany.info
“Historic Streetcar Systems of Georgia” by New South Associates, published 2012
“Henry M. Atkinson Obituary” New York Times, Jan 22, 1939