Welcome to Bear Creek Hounds of Moreland, GA
Not many men get to realize their heart’s desire both personally and professionally, but Hal has been blessed. He and Linda live
on their beautiful 1,100-acre farm in Coweta County. They have three children and seven grandchildren, all living in Atlanta. Bear Creek Farm has proven to be a perfect place for Master Barry to build a fabulous horse farm and foxhound kennel as well as a
picturesque foxhunting meet site.
Hal also is Chairman of the Atlanta Steeplechase, and has owned and campaigned steeplechase
horses for almost two decades. Recently exploring his Irish ancestry, Hal discovered that his family came from the home of steeplechasing
in the town of Buttevant in County Cork. Since the first steeplechase was between two foxhunters, it is only fitting that a
man that would one day become a Master of Foxhounds would have roots to such a place in Ireland.
For the past several years,
Hal and Linda have been active in acquiring land to preserve its rural character. His influence in Coweta County, as it has been inAtlanta, spreads in all directions and touches many people. Yet he is always pushing the limits, whether it’s building the next development
in Atlanta or revitalizing the Atlanta Steeplechase or creating the “best pack of hounds yet!”
As the Master says, “The thrill of the chase, projects like Allen Plaza and my Bear Creek Hounds keep me thinking that I’m much younger
than I really am, and I have no intention of pulling back on the reins any time soon. This is too damn much fun!!!”
Master Harold V. “Hal” Barry
...has often been called a visionary, but even he never imagined where his life would lead. His
upbringing on an Iowa farm taught him an appreciation for the land and the hard work to run such an operation. He pursued an
education in business and found his way in the world of construction and real estate development. After many moves with his
family, he settled in Atlanta with innovative ideas for commercial development that would eventually change the face of the city.
But something was missing — his connection to the land, a relationship that can be traced back to his Irish forebears.
It was in rural Georgia where his destiny as a Master of Foxhounds was realized.
Although his father and grandfather were landowners
and farmers, Hal Barry was not raised in the tradition of foxhunting. Following his wife Linda’s lead, he discovered the sport in
the 1980s, when he had the extraordinary good luck to be introduced to Benjamin H. Hardaway III of Columbus, Georgia, a man who has
been living and breathing hounds for more than 60 years.
The memories of that first morning with the Midland Hounds — the crispness
in the air, the beauty of the land, the hounds, and the scarlet coats — are with him still. Those memories fueled his desire to create
the Bear Creek Hounds, an outstanding crossbred pack. He is hopelessly addicted to the cry of the hounds and the sound of the huntsman’s
horn.
When he is not hunting, Hal is chairman of The Barry Real Estate Companies, which he founded in 1996 after almost 30 years
in Atlanta high-end office real estate market. His mark is on some of the metro area’s most distinctive high-rise office complexes,
such as Monarch Plaza, North Park Town Center and Riverwood Center. Since 1996, Hal and his partner, Chris Schoen, are responsible
for the development of more than 4 million square feet of office space in the southeastern markets. Their current project is a crowning
addition to downtown Atlanta, Allen Plaza, named for one of Atlanta’s most celebrated public servants,
the late Mayor Ivan Allen Jr.
