Where Nature Meets History: Exploring Peachtree City’s Gin Branch Trails

It is always exciting when a new cart path and trail opens up in Peachtree City! On National Trails Day, Saturday, June 6, members of the community gathered for the formal ribbon-cutting to introduce the new Gin Branch Trails – 21 acres of protected greenspace, featuring a natural-surface pathway that meanders through the woods, and explores a rich piece of local history.

The trail was a collaborative effort between Peachtree City Recreation and Special Events and several community groups, including SouthSide Cycling Club, Bike-Walk Fayette, the SWAY MTB Club, the Rotary Club of Peachtree City, Panasonic Automotive, Trek Bicycle Peachtree City and the Peachtree City Ladies Hiking Club.

Walkers, hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers will enjoy this peaceful escape along the Gin Branch Creek, right in the heart of the city. This hidden gem is open daily and can be accessed on a golf cart path at World Drive, across from the Kedron Shopping Center. Take World Drive to the end, where you will find a circle drive. Continue on the right down the cart path and bear to the right to discover the Landrum Family Mill overlook and the new trail. 

The trail captures the nearly 200-year-old disappearing history of the Landrum Mill that once included a cotton gin and dam. This family saga began in 1830, when Jeptha Landrum purchased the creek acreage. Alongside his brother, Larkin, the family eventually owned over 3,000 acres of what is now northern Peachtree City.

The brothers were prominent local figures; Jeptha served as the Sheriff of Fayette County, while Larkin served in the Georgia Legislature. On his plantation, Jeptha built a thriving cotton mill on the creek branch that would forever bear its name: Gin Branch.

In 1837, tragedy struck when Jeptha and Frances Landrum’s 10-year-old son, also named Frances, tragically drowned in the mill’s pond. Decades later, the Civil War devastated the family fortune, leaving Jeptha completely bankrupt by the time of his death in 1870. 

Just a short walk from the mill ruins is the site of the Landrum Family Cemetery. It stands today as one of the oldest cemeteries in Fayette County and is actively preserved by the nearby Dogwood Church. To reach the cemetery, take the abandoned road (Old Peachtree Pkwy) that is accessed between two wooden fences and continue for about ¼ mile. Look carefully and you will see a trail on your right that leads to the cemetery.