ATLANTA — Just outside the former Spiller Park, now the Ponce de Leon Park on the Atlanta Beltline, the long-standing Spiller Field Magnolia has split and fallen.
The City of Atlanta has several historic southern magnolias along the Eastside Trail of the Beltline.
Now, the group of trees is one fewer.
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“We are aware that one of the historic Southern Magnolias split along the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail at the former Spiller Park,” the Beltline said in a statement. “We recognize the significance of these trees to the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum and the community.”
The former Spiller Park was the home field of the Atlanta Crackers, the area’s minor league team at the time, and the Atlanta Black Crackers in the Negro League, making it a big part of the city’s professional sports history.
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MLB said the tree had been there long before the spot became a field, dating all the way back to the 1800s.
The area had been a site of development. In the early 1900s, the lake there was drained and a field was born.
But even when the lake was drained, the area had a unique feature: a Southern Magnolia.
Among the historic moments at Spiller Field, featuring the magnolias, legendary baseball players Babe Ruth and Eddie Mathews were known to have hit baseballs into the branches.
Due to the historical significance of the Spiller Field Magnolias to the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Beltline and nonprofit Trees Atlanta worked to preserve them.
The nonprofit shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News about the tree as well, saying losing it was sad, particularly due to where it’s rooted in Atlanta history.
Currently, Trees Atlanta is assessing the damage to the tree.
In 2013, Trees Atlanta harvested 180 cuttings from the various historic magnolias, planting them as genetically identical trees throughout the city “to preserve the tree’s genetic legacy,” the Beltline said.
The placement of some of those genetic clones has branched out over the years, with some even gracing Truist Park, the new home of the Atlanta Braves.
Other clippings were grown into new trees in Bush Mountain, where the Atlanta Black Crackers would practice.
Trees Atlanta mentioned the preservation effort as well, saying that they plan to take additional cuttings from the tree to further preserve its DNA for future generations.
“If the tree has to be removed, there’s a likelihood it will send up new shoots from its stump,” Greg Levine, Executive Director of Trees Atlanta, said. “If so, we can work with the property owner to care for it, so the tree can thrive in its original location for years to come.”
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