Callaway Gardens. Callaway Gardens was founded in 1952 by Cason Callaway, Sr. and his wife Virginia Callaway, for the purpose of preserving the native flora of the southern United States in a natural setting for the public to enjoy. At one time, this area was marginal farm land, depleted of its natural beauty and vegetation by overuse. The Callaways rebuilt this land into 2,500 acres of trees, shrubs and flowering plants. ERECTED BY THE HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMMISSION AND THE IDA CASON CALLAWAY FOUNDATION 1980 [REVERSE] Callaway Gardens. Callaway Gardens is owned and operated by a non-profit organization, the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, which is dedicated to horticulture, charity, religion, education and science. The Gardens are cared for and strengthened each year for the benefit and gratification of today's generations and generations to come. This property symbolizes the past, the present, and the future of this region's landscape. ERECTED BY THE HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMMISSION AND THE IDA CASON CALLAWAY FOUNDATION 1980