Mary Scott Nature Park

Mary Scott Nature Park is ten-plus acres of inside-the-perimeter greenspace, located at 4150 Briarcliff Road.  It was purchased by DeKalb County Greenspace in 2003, when it was on the market after the death of the last person to live on the property, Mary Armstrong.  The sale by the family contained a requirement to honor Mary’s long-time friend Scott in the naming of the park.  In the course of its development it was first referred to as the Armstrong property, then Mary and Scott Park, then Mary Scott Nature Preserve (as requested by the neighborhood), then via official signage as Mary Scott Nature Park. The $2.1 million purchase price was funded by DeKalb County bonds along with grants from the Blank Foundation and Georgia Greenspace, with the stipulation that no more than 15% of the area be "improved" with trails, parking lots, playgrounds and other amenities.  A small tributary of the North Fork Peachtree Creek (NFPC) flows through the park, paralleling Briarcliff but at the rear of the property.  That tributary merges with another downstream into Lake Flair, which flows directly into NFPC. Old county trail development maps envision a walking trail along NFPC, though this would have run through a wetlands area near Mercer University.