Carr, Anne Coppedge, 1999 March 01

This is a Living History interview with Anne Carr, of Atlanta, Georgia, conducted by Marilyn Somers on March 1, 1999 at Mrs. Carr’s home. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences with the Cherokee Garden Library.

Mrs. Carr was born in Waycross, Georgia. Her father founded and owned several retail stores throughout south Georgia. The family moved to Atlanta when Mrs. Carr was still a small child, and her father began the famous Sophie Mae Peanut Brittle factory. The family moved to New Jersey because of southern freight rates, and Mrs. Carr began attending a girls’ private school. She returned to Atlanta to make her debut with her friends, and she met her future husband, Julian Carr. He was attending Harvard Law School. The two were married six months later in New York. They moved back to Atlanta after a year and built their own home on Rivers Road. After several years, they moved into a home on Northside Drive that was designed by Philip Schutze. Mrs. Carr was a member of the Cherokee Garden Club, and she enjoyed learning from the older members and going to flower shows. She and her husband had three sons. Because Mrs. Carr had lots of hired help, she became involved in the community with the Atlanta Junior League and the Atlanta Metropolitan Opera. She helped start a Nearly New Thrift Shop, and she became the president of the Atlanta Opera Guild. After visiting a garden in Nashville, Tennessee, Mrs. Carr had the idea of starting a garden library in Atlanta. After the idea was approved, she found a space through the Atlanta History Center at McElreath Hall. They began raising money by writing to different individuals, clubs, and businesses, and they raised 30000 dollars. A woman from in New Jersey was selling an excellent collection of antique garden books, which they used the money to buy. The library has since constantly been growing and acquiring new books. There have been a few space upgrades since its beginning as well. Mrs. Carr has enjoyed sharing her own wonderful garden with her family. It was used as the cover of the book, Earth on Her Hands, which tells the story of different female gardeners.