United States of America -- Wisconsin -- Ozaukee County -- Port Washington
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes a worksheet, historical pictures and information regarding previous owners, historical timeline of property, planting lists, planting plans, and landscape design.
General:
Afterglow Farm was established in 1929 on 119 acres in southeastern Wisconsin along Lake Michigan, and is still owned by members of the family. The house and outbuildings were designed in a Germanic style and built from timber and native stone. Originally some of the gardens were planted in food crops that were preserved in a root cellar for winter. Today Afterglow Farm runs a CSA (community supported agriculture) program, growing organic fruits and vegetables and eggs for local subscribers. An "engineered wetlands" was built alongside the CSA fields circa 2000 to clean waste water from the house and barn for reuse in the gardens, with a hillside planted with native wildflowers and grasses for filtration and water storage. The water is moved through troughs to various gardens, a recent innovation in land stewardship and sustainability that have always been important values for the owners of Afterglow Farm.
A former horse paddock was transformed into an ornamental circle in the cottage garden style circa 1930, and today has perennials, flowering trees and shrubs, bulbs and native wildflowers that provide blooms for spring, summer and fall. Other ornamental beds were designed in the New American Style, with sweeping planted beds of single species, using cultivars and native plants that are deer resistant. A new, fenced fruit orchard supplies the CSA members with apples and pears.
Ironwork gates and ornamental panels, and two bear sculptures were designed by the original owner. An old German poem is painted above the door of the farmhouse, which loosely translates to "This house is mine yet not mine. Whoever lived here before, it is not his. Whoever comes after me must also leave sometime. So tell me dear friend, whose house is this?"
Persons associated with the property include: Steve and Sandy Sandlin (caretakers and gardeners, 1995-present); Dean Wiegert (gardener, 2007-present); Christine Sobocinski (assistant gardener, 2007-present); Mark Hartzell (property manager, 2006-present); Jorgen Hansen, ALA (Port City Studio, architect and master planner, 1998-present); David Flowers, P.E. ("Engineered Wetlands" project leader, 2000-2002); Judith Z. Stark (Judith Z. Stark Landscape Design, terrace garden designer, 2005-2006) and Lynde B. Uihlein (terrace stonework designer, 2005-2006).
Related Materials:
Afterglow Farm related holdings consist of 1 folder (23 35 mm. slides)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- Wisconsin -- Port Washington Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
