While kudzu (a wildly invasive plant that can grow up to 12 inches a day) was first introduced from Japan at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, the kudzu in Cummings Cove was introduced differently. The local story is that Lillian Cummings, wife to Judge Cummings, who was a personal friend to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was visiting with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt while they were on their way to Warm Springs, Georgia. During this visit, it is believed that while on a horse ride, First Lady Eleanor and Lillian rode through what is now Fairway 13 at the Black Creek Club and Lillian commented that the bare ground, perhaps excavated, was unsightly. Later on, Eleanor sent her seeds or plants that were kudzu.
Tom Hirsch – Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
(Photo: Tom Hirsch)