Life size bronze statue of Hardy Pace by Hilarie Johnston, completed in 1987. Nearby is a bronze plaque that states...

Hardy Pace
1785 - 1864

Hardy Pace was the founder of Vinings. He settled in this area and acquired some 10,000 acres ceded by the Cherokees in 1835, between Buckhead and Smyrna including Vinings Mountain.

Pace brought prosperity to the region. He operated a ferry, built a gristmill and a tavern, had large farming operations, and was the area postmaster. The large home he built west of the Chattahoochee was a social center for friends and travelers.

The Civil War brought an end to this life. Pace and his family took refuge in Milledgeville. His home was occupied then burned by Federal troops. Pace died in Milledgeville and is buried on Vinings Mountain.

Hardy Pace grave monument which states that he was born in 1785 and died on Dec. 5, 1864. Sadly, his grave monument was vandalized years ago along with others in this family cemetery.

Hardy operated the well known Paces Ferry at a point on the Chattahoochee River about 50-100 feet upstream from the present bridge. Here he was postmaster of the Paces Ferry Post Office until April 16, 1839, when he moved across the Chattahoochee River into Cobb County to the present site of Vinings on the route of the Western and Atlantic Railroad which was being built. A post office run by him there was called Crossroad, renamed Vinings Station, Oct 2, 1868, when his son-in-law Tillman G. McAfee became postmaster. Hardy steadily acquired land. John W. Hill deeded to Hardy Pace Land Lot 235, and 177 acres of Land Lot 216, 17th District of DeKalb, August 21, 1843, giving Pace control of the Dekalb side of the river, now Fulton County. When gold was discovered near Dahlonega, gold fever gripped the region and deeds frequently reserved mineral rights. Cobb County was formed in 1832, and its land was divided into 40 acre gold lots in a land lottery of the time. By 1839, Pace built a large home at present day Vinings on a hilltop in Cobb County. Pace enlarged his home to 17 rooms as so many travelers stopped overnight. Many drovers of livestock between Marietta and Atlanta used his tavern at Vinings. He eventually owned 10,000 acres and farmed the rich bottom lands. He had a mill on Rottenwood Creek, which ran into the Chattahoochee near Vinings. The ruins of this mill, later called Akers Mill, could be seen in the 1970's south of Akers Mill Road.

The Western and Atlantic Railroad was built through the area with a few houses for the section hands. A depot was built across from the church and a one room school house. The railroad was a fascinating engineering feat, connecting Atlanta with Chattanooga within a few years and opening many new business opportunities.
Hardy sold property in old DeKalb, then Fulton, to his son-in-law Pinkney Randall, April 20, 1850, 607 ½ acres, for $700, with reservation of mines and minerals to him. Eighty years later, a portion of this tract was sold for $50,000, located on Mount Paran Road.

His son Solomon K. Pace was made a justice of the new Inferior Court of Fulton County, Jan. 12, 1857. serving with justices Cornelius R. Hanleiter, Zachariah H. Rice, Jethro W. Manning and William A. Wilson.

When Gen. Sherman's federal army approached Atlanta, Pace and his family had already taken refuge in Milledgeville. After the fierce fighting at Kennesaw Mountain, much skirmishing occurred around Vinings as Gen. Johnson struggled to get his Confederate forces across the Chattahoochee on a pontoon bridge. Sherman had spent time at Marietta and around Vinings in 1844 as a military engineer. He took the Hardy Pace home as an army headquarters where Gen. Howard busied himself a supply base for the assault on Atlanta. Many artillery emplacements were dug on the southern slope of Vinings Mountain, still visible in the 1970's before residential expansion took over the area. Gen. Sherman climbed Vinings Mountain, July 5,1864, to view Atlanta 8 miles away, with several officers. As the fighting surged across the river, the Pace home became a military hospital with tents sprawling over the grounds.

After Atlanta fell and Sherman marched south, the Pace family returned to find the house and barns burned. Only two of the slaves remained, Fannie and Albert. Food was hard to find. Two slave cabins were pulled together as a rough home and enlarged later. Hardy Pace died soon, Dec. 5th, 1864, and was buried in the family cemetery on the top of Vinings Mountain, now surrounded by tall office buildings. His tomb reads: "Sacred to the memory of Hardy Pace born 1785 died December 5, 1864 a friend of the poor…."

Pace had been a widower for 22 years when he died. He had several children:

1. Solomon K. Pace who married Penelope Glass of Covington. He was a judge of Fulton Inferior Court and a resident of Buckhead, called by many "Uncle Solomon". He died in 1897.
2. Bushrod Pace who married Georgia Kirksey.
3. Catron G. Pace who married Pinckney H. Randall, a neighbor who owned much land. Randall (1814-1887) owned Randall's mill on Nancy Creek.
4. Parthenia Pace who married T.M. Kirkpatrick.
5. Keren Pace who married Tillman McAfee.

Paces Ferry continued to operate until 1904.

Information courtesy of GenForum.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/pace/messages/4735.html

Pace Family plot overlooking the Atlanta skyline on the distant horizon. This family cemetery is located on top of Mount Wilkinson and is now wedged between highrise buildings. The Pace Family cemetery is located in the Vinings suburb of Atlanta.

Lucy Pace is buried in the grave at the very lower left. Bushrod Pace, Lucy and Hardy's son is buried to her left. Hardy Pace, her husband is buried to Bushrod's left.

Sadly, many of the oldest grave monuments in this cemetery were damaged by vandals years ago.

Hardy Pace family plot. Sadly, vandals damaged many of the oldest grave monuments of the Pace family.

Close up of life size statue of Hardy Pace by artist Hilarie Johnston.