United States of America -- Wisconsin -- Sheboygan County -- Sheboygan Falls
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, and other information.
General:
Commissioned by the parents of the present owner, Homewood is truly a family home. It was built in 1937 from an architectural design modeled after the original Homewood at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, built by Charles Carroll in 1801. The architectural plan was featured in the 1939 New York World's Fair as a model home featuring a modern take on the classic Colonial design customized to meet the needs of the average American family. The home was designated as a historic landmark of Sheboygan County in 1983 and was surveyed for the Historic Preservation Division of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
The vegetable gardens of Homewood date back to the World War II victory garden that the present owner helped to maintain as a child. The gardens have since evolved to address issues of pest control, shade, and to increase produce yield by incorporating raised beds, lattice supports, and additional fencing to help alleviate some the challenges of growing a large vegetable garden. The gardens in their current form were established beginning in 1990, when the present owners renovated the family home.
The main vegetable plot features protective plantings of cedar trees and bittersweet vine, a raspberry patch, and a revolving assortment of vegetable beds which include plantings of greens and lettuce mixes, beans, herbs, tomatoes, and peppers, to name a few, as well as perennials such as rhubarb and asparagus. An additional kitchen garden is located close to the house, where herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes are grown. The abundant vegetable plantings yield enough produce for sharing with friends and neighbors, and canning, freezing, pickling and storage of the crops allows the harvest to last throughout the year.
A sixteen foot long arbor serves as the entrance to the main fenced and gated vegetable garden. Clematis, grapevine, and climbing roses grow on the arbor, which features a crushed limestone path and a bench to provide seating. Additional features on the property include two native prairie areas, a native tree and shrub nursery, and a steep embankment on the back of the property includes maple, oak and ash trees and a wetland abutting an adjoining river.
Persons associated with the garden include: Dr. Horace J. Hansen and Mrs. Elizabeth Hansen (former owners, 1937-1992); and Dwight James Baum (architect, 1937).
Related Materials:
Homewood related holdings consist of 1 folder (20 35 mm slides (photographs); 17 digital images; and 20 photographic prints (reference))
Additional material regarding the property is located in the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.
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 -- Sheboygan Falls 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.
