Florence Phillips Griffin, 88, helped preserve Tullie Smith House

Florence Phillips Griffin devoted herself to preserving the vestiges of days gone by.

She researched the history of Georgia’s plants and pottery, homes and furniture, then volunteered to share her knowledge with others.

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Family

Florence Griffin and husband, Bill Griffin, shared an interest in nature and in the past.

She helped found the Southern Garden History Society, Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

She helped preserve the Tullie Smith House, one of the city’s oldest homes. She saved “the barn, the corn crib, the slave cabin — if it wasn’t for Florence, we wouldn’t have those,” said Sally Hawkins of Atlanta, a friend of 50 years who volunteered alongside Mrs. Griffin.

“And the gardens. She wanted to have the right period plant. You could not put a 20th-century plant in a 19th-century garden.”

Mrs. Griffin, 88, of Atlanta, died at home Monday of complications from Parkinson’s disease, said her daughter, Ellen Knox Griffin of Smyrna. The body was cremated. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at H.M. Patterson and Son Spring Hill Chapel in Atlanta, with visitation an hour before.

Mrs. Griffin’s deep roots and interest in the Peach State began in rural Georgia. She was born and raised in Greenville then, after college, moved the 50 miles north to Atlanta to work.

At an Atlanta Bird Club meeting in 1945, she met attorney William W. “Bill” Griffin. Their marriage was built on kindred interests in nature and in relics from the past.

“They were interested in how Georgia developed from an agrarian society and how people moved to urban places, how they fought and lived, and how that resulted in what our state and society is like,” said longtime friend Deanne D. Levison of Atlanta. “They went back to the primary sources, like reading wills, to get the real picture.”

Pinpointing the reason for Mrs. Griffin’s interest in history “is kind of like asking how the world began,” laughed her youngest son, Dan Griffin of New York.

“They were wonderful collaborators, whether the endeavor was one that Florence was at the forefront, a la the Tullie Smith House, or one that Bill was, a la the Georgia Conservancy,” Dan Griffin said. “They backed each other up.”

The Tullie Smith House, a rare example of the plain plantation architectural style, was built in 1840. By the late 1960s, it stood as an island surrounded by highways and office parks. Heirs donated the house, and it was moved to the grounds of the Atlanta History Center.

Mrs. Griffin’s influence was key in the decorating and furnishing of the house and designing its garden. She salvaged historic plants such as antique iris, flowering quince and Persian lilac from other old homes in metro Atlanta.

With these projects and at home, she took charge with such a stately, ladylike manner that family and friends called her “The Queen.” “She would make a quiet, subtle suggestion, and you knew you better do it,” Mrs. Hawkins said.

She didn’t overpower people with her authority, but rarely was it questioned. “Few people were as knowledgeable about Georgia history and the artifacts connected to it,” said Jackie Montag, the history center’s former board chair.

Other survivors include a son, William Griffin Jr. of Bethesda, Md.; and seven grandchildren.