Confederate soldiers in order to save their family and home. The letter tells of the sentiments of the family towards the soldiers, helping the wounded in the area, and the scene in Atlanta after General Sherman’s troops passed: “Atlanta is a perfect mass of ruins. I haven’t been there as yet, but from what they tell me it is awful. All the public buildings are gone except the City Hall. Whitehall Street swept completely.” The Perkerson property was in the Fourteenth or "Black Hall District," also known in legal parlance as the 530th Georgia Militia District. It became known as such upon the creation of DeKalb County in December 1822 (District 14: Land Lots 103 and 104 with 101 ¼ acres on each Land Lot). The district became much smaller after the Civil War due to the continued growth of Atlanta. In 1944, 315 acres of the Perkerson estate were sold for subdivision purposes, some ten years after the death of Lizzie Perkerson Butler, who was the last family member to live in the old house. (This old family home had survived even General Sherman’s burning of Atlanta, because the family refused to leave the house, due to the fact that Matilda Perkerson Gilbert was at that time too sick to be moved.) The part of the estate sold off in 1944 included the 50 acres that now make up Perkerson Park, which park was donated by the Perkerson Family to the City of Atlanta. Perkerson Park is located at 770 Deckner Avenue SW. The park was created circa 1952 by the City of Atlanta and is a contributing property to the city. It is the largest green space and only public park in the Capitol View Historic District. It covers approximately 50 acres in the southwest portion of the district and serves as a community public space. The recreation building therein is used for multiple purposes, such as continuing education, neighborhood meetings, and also as the local polling facility. The park has a sculpture which was created circa 1985 by Toby Martin, and is entitled "My Spirit is Changing." (This history of Perkerson Park was taken directly from the Historical Designation Study completed by a Georgia State University team in 2011) Amenities Perkerson Park is both an active and a passive park. Amenities include: Playground area Splash pad Recreation center Tennis courts Basketball courts Baseball, Football, and recreational ball-fields