Murphey Candler Park
Encyclopedia
Murphey Candler Park is a 135-acre multi-use park located at 1551 West Nancy Creek Drive in Brookhaven, Georgia
. The park is owned and operated by DeKalb County Parks and Recreation
. Park amenities include multi-use fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a playground, picnic areas, a lake, and trails. Youth sports are offered through baseball, softball, and football programs that operate through the park. The lake at Murphey Candler Park offers fishing, and it is home to largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. The lake is also home to Canada Geese, Mallards, other ducks and beavers.
, Doraville
, Chamblee
and Dunwoody
, and the council was instrumental in the development of the park.
In 1952, DeKalb County acquired the 135 acres of real estate located between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Chamblee Dunwoody Road with the intention to build a park for the communities of North DeKalb. The sole commissioner for DeKalb County (serving 1939-1955) at that time was Scott Candler. At the request of Fred Wilson, the park was named in honor of Mr. Candler’s late father, Charles Murphey Candler, a highly respected state Representative and state Senator, and good friend of Fred Wilson.
On Sunday, January 31, 1954, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Murphey Candler Park. Since there was no road to the site, the ceremony was held at the point on Ashford Dunwoody Road where the access road to the park would intersect, now West Nancy Creek Drive. East Nancy Creek Drive and Candler Lake East were completed a short time later, giving people a way to get to the new park from either Chamblee Dunwoody or Ashford Dunwoody Roads.
franchise, it was discontinued in the 1990s. ACYA offers football programs for children in 1st through 7th grades, including traveling try-out teams (the Colts), interleague football, and flag football. Cheerleading is offered for girls in 1st through 7th grades. ACYA has won 121 league and bowl championships, and 9 national championships, since its founding.
, Chamblee
, and Doraville
, and parts of Tucker
and Briarcliff
. The boundaries also include Peachtree Corners
in Gwinnett County
and parts of Sandy Springs
in Fulton County
. Major Division tournament teams have won four state championships, twelve District 9 championships, and one 10 year old state championship.
Brookhaven, Georgia
Brookhaven is an unincorporated community located on the western edge of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, directly northeast of Atlanta. Most of the area was formerly incorporated as the city of North Atlanta, which disincorporated during the 1960s...
. The park is owned and operated by DeKalb County Parks and Recreation
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
. Park amenities include multi-use fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a playground, picnic areas, a lake, and trails. Youth sports are offered through baseball, softball, and football programs that operate through the park. The lake at Murphey Candler Park offers fishing, and it is home to largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. The lake is also home to Canada Geese, Mallards, other ducks and beavers.
History
Murphey Candler Park was originally planned in 1950 with the prospective donation of 100 acres of land by Mr. Fred Wilson and 35 acres by Mrs. Cora Quinn Long. The park was mainly the idea of the North DeKalb Planning Council, a group of business and church leaders in BrookhavenBrookhaven, Georgia
Brookhaven is an unincorporated community located on the western edge of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, directly northeast of Atlanta. Most of the area was formerly incorporated as the city of North Atlanta, which disincorporated during the 1960s...
, Doraville
Doraville, Georgia
Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,330.-History:Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871...
, Chamblee
Chamblee, Georgia
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white , 7.0% black or African American , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race and...
and Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
, and the council was instrumental in the development of the park.
In 1952, DeKalb County acquired the 135 acres of real estate located between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Chamblee Dunwoody Road with the intention to build a park for the communities of North DeKalb. The sole commissioner for DeKalb County (serving 1939-1955) at that time was Scott Candler. At the request of Fred Wilson, the park was named in honor of Mr. Candler’s late father, Charles Murphey Candler, a highly respected state Representative and state Senator, and good friend of Fred Wilson.
On Sunday, January 31, 1954, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Murphey Candler Park. Since there was no road to the site, the ceremony was held at the point on Ashford Dunwoody Road where the access road to the park would intersect, now West Nancy Creek Drive. East Nancy Creek Drive and Candler Lake East were completed a short time later, giving people a way to get to the new park from either Chamblee Dunwoody or Ashford Dunwoody Roads.
Football
Atlanta Colts Youth Association (ACYA) was established at Murphey Candler Park by Robert Johnson in 1965. While the Atlanta Colts were originally a Pop WarnerPop Warner Little Scholars
Pop Warner Little Scholars is a non-profit organization that provides youth football, cheerleading, and dance programs for participants in 43 U.S. states and several countries around the world. It is headquartered in Langhorne, Pennsylvania...
franchise, it was discontinued in the 1990s. ACYA offers football programs for children in 1st through 7th grades, including traveling try-out teams (the Colts), interleague football, and flag football. Cheerleading is offered for girls in 1st through 7th grades. ACYA has won 121 league and bowl championships, and 9 national championships, since its founding.
Baseball
Murphey Candler Little League (MCLL) is a non-profit, all-volunteer Little League Baseball program for children aged 4–12 established in 1958. Murphey Candler is proud to be a sanctioned participant in Little League baseball. MCLL's operates under a charter from Little League Baseball that establishes formal boundaries from which the program can draw players. The boundaries include most of northeast DeKalb County, covering all of Brookhaven, DunwoodyDunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
, Chamblee
Chamblee, Georgia
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white , 7.0% black or African American , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race and...
, and Doraville
Doraville, Georgia
Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,330.-History:Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1871...
, and parts of Tucker
Tucker, Georgia
Tucker is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as...
and Briarcliff
North Druid Hills, Georgia
North Druid Hills, known alternatively as Briarcliff, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,947 at the 2010 census. The center of the area is the intersection of Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads...
. The boundaries also include Peachtree Corners
Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Peachtree Corners is a city in western Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta, located east of Dunwoody and south of Johns Creek. Out of all of Atlanta's northern suburbs, Peachtree Corners is the only one that was developed as a planned community...
in Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...
and parts of Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
in Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
. Major Division tournament teams have won four state championships, twelve District 9 championships, and one 10 year old state championship.