Vestavia Hills Garden Club
The Vestavia Hills Garden Club is a Vestavia Hills-based affiliate of the Garden Clubs of America.
The club's primary activity is maintaining the gardens around the Sybil Temple.
Club representative Barbara Spradling was instrumental in securing the temple structure from Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, moving it to its present site, and presenting it to then-Mayor J. T. Scates.
The associated Vestavia Hills Men's Garden Club, organized in 1964, maintains a lot opposite the temple across Montgomery Highway on the corner of Shades Crest Road. Their efforts, motivated to prevent construction of a gas station on the site, were successful. The small park is named in honor of long-time volunteer Henry Chilton.
The Vestavia Hills Garden Club is also heavily involved in the city's Dogwood Festival activities.
References
- Gates, Verna (April 2019) "How Birmingham garden clubs changed the city forever" Birmingham magazine