Organization ·

Greater Malakoff Area Garden Club

Established in 1999, the Greater Malakoff Area Garden Club's purpose was to beautify the town and area and celebrate its history. The GMAGC published a 450+ page book on the history of Malakoff in 2009, titled Malakoff, Texas. Since its beginning, it has provided trees at wholesale costs to business, planted and cared for them for free for the first year in order to "tree up" the community. It also has provided containers in the downtown area for plants, which the GMAGC plants and cares for on an annual basis. In 2009, the GMAGC purchased the Historic Bartlett House and Heritage Gardens -- probably the most famous house in the area because of its architecture, the stories about the parties in the 1930s under the stars dancing on the roof overlooking its renowned gardens; and its unique relationship to the primary and longest continuing business in the area, the brick company (now Acme Brick) as well as the owner's relationship to the discovery of one of the oldest archeological finds in all of the Americas (dubbed "the Malakoff Man" by scientists). The goal of the GMAGC is to restore the gardens and create an educational attraction by focusing on the beauty and durability of indigenous and heritage plants and, ultimately, to restore the incredible Bartlett House.

In 2012, the GMAGC undertook is first major fund-raising project in the creation of he Sculpture Gardens and Art Tour in the Upper East Side of Texas, which introduced the opening of the James Surls' Sculpture Gardens: A Tribute to Joe Surls -- a major event for all of Texas arts -- and hosted the public opening of the James and Barbara Stewart's sculpture gardens, a top Texas award-winning residential designed property (by Jason Osterberger Designs of Dallas), which has nationally-renowned sculptures by Glenna Goodacre, Gary Price, Walt Horton, and Jo Saylors, among others. A free portion of the tour opened the doors to the studios, shops, and galleries of over 75 professional artists who live and produce their art in the Upper East Side of Texas.