The Mabry Family Trails

Map of Mabry Park Trails with trails and distances.

The trail names and descriptions were provided by the Mabry Family, who farmed this beautiful land for generations. These family stories help to preserve the rich history of life in Cobb County.

Virgil’s Fox Hunting Trail (0.35 mi.)

Virgil Mabry would go fox hunting at night for pleasure. He did not have a truck to haul his fox hounds to the mountains to run foxes, so he would lead his dogs to the back field, and they would find a fox trail and run the fox. He would sit and listen to the dogs run. If it were cold, he would build a fire and enjoy the fox race.

Cotton Pen Trail (0.25 mi.)

A small building was erected near the center of the cotton field. As the cotton was picked by hand, it was brought to the cotton pen and weighed. The pickers were paid by the pound. The bales of cotton were loaded onto a wagon and carried to the cotton in located at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and Post Oak Tritt Road.

Black Mink Trail (0.35 mi.)

In the late 1940s, minks lived on the stream that feeds the lake. There were enough minks in the area to make it worthwhile to trap them in the winter.

Papa JN Trail (0.10mi.)

J.N. Mabry was known by his grandchildren as Papa JN. The farm had been scheduled to be sold at auction in 1942, but Papa JN was able to keep Mabry Farm in the Mabry Family by paying off the mortgage. In the 1950s, he installed pasture fences and planted grass in the fields that had previously been used to raise cotton and corn since 1914. Papa JN raised beef cattle until he passed away in 1981.

Twelve Acre Field Trail (0.15 mi.)

This trail goes through the field that the family called the Twelve Acre Field. All of the fields had names, but this is the only name that survived.

Where It All Started

Parks Bond Initiative

In November 2006, Cobb voters approved a referendum asking the county to issue $40 million in bonds for the purchase of new parkland. Commercial and residential development in Cobb County was booming, and the citizens wanted to secure the land before there was no undeveloped land left. A citizen advisory committee, appointed by the commissioners, evaluated several submitted tracts and presented their list of properties to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for final selection.

The Land

Mabry Park made the cut as part of the bond program and, in 2008, Cobb County acquired 26.5 acres from Ed and Sue Mabry Harris. This historical farm was saved for the people of Cobb County to enjoy as a future park. The Mabry family’s roots run deep in this part of the county, and the Mabry Farm is unique, having received the Centennial Farm Award in recognition being a working farm run by the Mabry family for over 100 years.

The Friends Group Imagined a Place . . .

Although the land was saved through the bond program, there were no designated funds to build out the park for public use. The Friends of Mabry Park, founded in 2009, strengthened awareness about the need for a passive park in Northeast Cobb. The Friends of Mabry Park reached out through social media, promoted public involvement, participated in local community events, engaged with the local school system and neighborhood homeowner associations, and held three park previews. Most importantly, the group raised funds and, in 2011, paid for the Master Plan build-out so the community could actually envision a place.

The Friends group weathered the recession, elections, and funding debates, but finally reached the top of the SPLOST Parks & Rec list, and the construction was paid for with 2016 SPLOST money.

We couldn’t have done it without a close partnership with the wonderful people at Cobb County Parks & Rec., along with our local Commissioners, who were extremely supportive of our goals. The park finally opened to the public on May 2, 2019.