The Tulip Study Club of Atlanta, Georgia, was organized by Marie S. Nicholson (1894-1975) in 1938 to foster "the study, culture and promotion of interest in the tulip bulb and flower." The club was governed by a board of elected officers including president, two vice-presidents, and secretaries. The club sponsored an annual tulip show beginning in 1939 held at Rich's Inc. Department Store. In 1945 bulb growers in Holland donated 45,000 tulip bulbs to the club, which were planted in Hurt Park for the subsequent tulip shows. In 1946, the club worked with the Atlanta Tulip Show Association to sponsor an expanded tulip show held in the City Auditorium and Hurt Park. The club provided continued support and donated proceeds from the shows to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Free Cancer Home. In 1951, the club along with the Atlanta Tulip Show Association hosted the first Atlanta Tulip Festival to coincide with the annual tulip show. The festival included traditional Dutch dancing, a large windmill installed in Hurt Park, tulip exhibits, and the planting of over 25,000 tulips. A tulip queen was crowed annually and visitors from as far away as the Netherlands attended. The club continued to receive large donations of tulip bulbs, which they planted at various locations around Atlanta, including Egleston Memorial Hospital, Hillside Cottages, Sarah Smith Elementary School, Grant Park, and the State Capitol grounds. In 1963, the club won the Horticulture Achievement Award from The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. as well as a recognition of 25 years of distinguished service from the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc.