Johns Homestead Park in Tucker: How Dams Became Bridges

A walking trail now runs along the top of both dams at Twin Brothers Lake. Those two crossings are new, and they are the reason a full lap of the water is possible. Until this summer, a walk at Johns Homestead Park meant picking one side. You could take the wooded Marsh Trail from Lawrenceville Highway past the historic house, or go in through the Stapp Road gate to the lake. The City of Tucker spent years rebuilding the dams to keep the lake safe. What residents got out of that work, beyond the safety fix, is a connected park.

The City cut the ribbon on Saturday, August 15, 2026. Mayor Anne Lerner opened the ceremony and Councilwoman Cara Schroeder, who represents District 2, walked the crowd through what had changed, Decaturish reported. Ten weeks on, with November nearly here, this is a good time for a first visit.

Two halves of one 49-acre park

Johns Homestead covers 49.4 acres in southwest Tucker, between Lawrenceville Highway and US-78, the Stone Mountain Freeway. Most of it is undeveloped, heavily wooded land. A stream runs north to south through the park and ends at the dammed lake. For years the lake was reached through a gate where Stapp Road dead-ends. The house and the Marsh Trail sat on the Lawrenceville Highway side, near a permeable parking lot that leads straight onto the natural trails.

Getting around the lake on foot was a problem of its own. In her remarks, Schroeder described an unsafe channel along the back of the lake near the neighboring homes. It made the perimeter hard to walk safely, according to Decaturish. The City's InTucker magazine describes the bypass channel at Edinburgh Estates as severely eroded, with a higher risk of falling trees, stream bank failure, and flooding.

Today the two entrances lead to different kinds of visits.

Five bridges, and two of them are the dams

The project added five crossing bridges. Two of them are the repaired dams, and those are what let visitors walk all the way around the lakes. Two more cross the marsh trail that leads to the historic homestead. The fifth crosses near Zemory Drive and serves the neighboring residents.

The marsh bridges tie the lake loop to the house side, and the Zemory Drive bridge gives the adjoining streets their own way in.

Schroeder also pointed visitors to the boardwalk near the Stapp Drive entrance. She said it makes the park accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act for the first time. She also had a tip for the shoreline habitat sign, which stands near a spot full of tadpoles and frogs. As Decaturish quoted her:

"If you take a little step closer to the lake, the frogs will jump. So enjoy that moment."

A first lap, starting from Stapp Drive

1. Park off Stapp Drive at the new spaces by the monument sign. The City's park page lists 12 parking spots for the park.
2. Take the ramp down to the water. It ends at the existing pavilion, which has shade and tables.
3. Walk out on the pier over the upper lake. Part of its observation deck is covered, and there are new benches nearby.
4. Follow the loop trail and cross the dams. Along the way, signs explain how the wetland works, and markers help with orienteering. New landscaping lines part of the route.
5. Stop at the bird blinds. There are two, set at different points along the trail.
6. Take the marsh bridges toward the homestead if you have the time and want to finish on the Lawrenceville Highway side.

The park is open during daylight hours. With sunset coming earlier each week in November, a weekday walk after work has a shorter window than it did in August.

Why the work went into the dams

According to the City, the dams and the lake took the majority of the construction work. A 2018 AECOM report, with follow-up reviews in 2019 and 2020, found that deferred maintenance had made the dams a life safety issue. Both were overgrown with vegetation, and the soil was no longer suitable. The upper lake had sedimentation and water quality problems. The lower dam was seeping at its base.

Here is how the project was funded, according to the City:

• $2.5 million from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources through the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program. The Friends of Johns Homestead Park and the Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District helped the City secure the grant in 2022.
• $1.3 million in City matching funds.
• $13,000 and 1,500 volunteer hours from the Friends of Johns Homestead Park.

Construction started in winter 2025 to bring the dams into compliance with the Georgia Safe Dams Program.

Twin Brothers Lake also serves as a stormwater reservoir for the city. Tucker voters approved a 2022 referendum to take stormwater responsibility over from DeKalb County, and the City's Public Works department took over on July 1, 2023. The lake was created about 60 years ago, when the dams were built to make a fishing spot.

The house you can see but not enter

The Johns Homestead house can be seen from Lawrenceville Highway. It was built between 1830 and 1833, which makes it about ten years older than the Tullie Smith Farm House preserved at the Atlanta History Center. Johns descendants lived there for about 150 years, from the time it was built until the 1980s. The surrounding land was a dairy farm and grew wheat, rye, corn, and oats. During the Civil War, a Union army unit camped there.

The dairy outbuilding is worth a close look from the trail. According to the City, it is the only documented vernacular rammed-earth building still standing in Georgia. The property was added to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's Places in Peril list in 2016 because the buildings were deteriorating. Johns descendant Patricia McDonald donated part of the land to DeKalb County in the early 2000s. The county bought the rest within a few years.

The house and outbuildings are closed to the public. The City encourages hiking and bird-watching on the grounds and says it plans a historical study to see whether the buildings qualify for the National Register of Historic Places, along with restoration plans.

Sundays at 3, and what to bring

The easiest way to learn the history and the ecology together is a guided hike. Tommy Lupo leads a Sunday hike through Johns Homestead at 3 p.m., listed as a partner event on the South Fork Conservancy calendar with the note "Every Sunday at 3!" The listing gives the meeting address as 3071 Lawrenceville Highway and shows the hour from 3 to 4 p.m. The calendar lists hikes on Sunday, November 1, November 8, and November 15, 2026.

Birders already know this park. On eBird, Johns Homestead Park is listed as a hotspot with 133 species recorded across 475 checklists. The City lists beavers, songbirds, owls, waterfowl, woodpeckers, turtles, several fish species, and a heron rookery among the park's wildlife. The two new blinds make the lake edge easier to watch without disturbing anything.

Anglers should wait a bit. The City says the lake will be restocked now that the dams are rebuilt, and Tucker Parks & Recreation said it would host beginner fishing classes at the lake this fall. One class, Reel Fun Fishing 101, was on the Tucker RecDesk calendar in October, and that calendar is the place to look for the next one.

Two rules to know before you go:

• Dogs. Under Tucker's animal ordinance, dogs away from home must be on a leash no longer than six feet, except in designated off-leash areas.
• Fishing licenses. Georgia DNR requires anglers 16 and older to carry a current Georgia fishing license when fishing in the state's fresh or salt water.

These summaries are general information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources or the City of Tucker for anything that applies to you.

Some of my favorite conversations with Tucker clients start with a walk like this one: which streets connect to the new Zemory Drive bridge, which side of the park is closest to home, where the quiet trails are. If Johns Homestead is part of your weekly routine, or you hope it will be someday, Audrey Bankhead would love to hear what you think of the new loop. Let's Connect.