William Akers and Ida King Akers built a country home along Spalding Drive in what was considered Dunwoody around 1935. The name Idalakers evolved from Ida Akers name and from the idea of many “idle acres” surrounding the home.   The property included forty-five acres on a hill with lovely views of hills and valleys all around.

William Akers was born in Atlanta in 1890.  He attended Boys High School and North Georgia College.  After some time in the lumber business, he was a manager and vice president for King Hardware.  Later, he went into investment banking with Hamilton & Company and Citizens & Southern Company of Savannah.  In 1933, he became administrative financial adviser and vice president of Haverty of Atlanta. 

Ida King Akers was also from Atlanta and attended Agnes Scott College.  Her father was George King, President of King Hardware.  Ida and William married in 1911 in Fulton County. 

In 1930, the couple lived in the Ansley Park area with their two children, William Jr. and daughter, also named Ida.  Like several others from Atlanta, they built a summer home along Spalding Drive.

The March 22, 1936 edition of The Atlanta Constitution describes an open house to be held at Idalakers.  Their daughter attended boarding school at Gunstan Hall in Washington, D. C. and was visiting for her Spring holidays. 

Typical of other nearby summer homes, the home had several amenities in order to be the perfect location for parties.  There was a wrap-around porch with swings, hammocks, and a ping pong table.  There was a tennis court, croquet lawn, and horseshoe rings.  Family and friends could swim in the lake on the property, complete with a diving board.  The kitchen and dining room for the home were connected to the main house by a fifty-foot hallway.  (Atlanta Constitution, Sally Forth, May 1936).

July 4, 1936 was the occasion of many young people visiting Idalakers, friends of the Aker’s daughter. The party goers are pictured in the Atlanta Constitution, July 5th edition, eating watermelon, boating in canoes on the lake, playing ping pong and operating the old well. The article is titled “Younger Set Celebrates Fourth of July at Idalakers.”

One of the features of the property was the lovely gardens, including iris of several different colors.  Ida Akers was a member of the Iris Garden Club, named for her favorite flower. In 1942, she was asked by a friend who lived far away to visit a patient at Lawson General Hospital (World War II hospital in Chamblee). Ida Akers gathered one hundred gardenia blossoms from Idalakers and delivered them to the hospital for all the patients to enjoy. (Atlanta Constitution, July 1, 1942)

Katherine Geffcken lived nearby in their home known as Kenstone. One day she and her mother walked north along the Hightower (Native American) Trail that adjoined their property, then turned right and approached the entrance of the Akers country home.  Katherine Geffcken remembers the Akers property as lush, with gorgeous azaleas, trees, and a home that looked like a hunting lodge.  I have not found any photos of Idalakers, but will certainly post them if they become available.

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