United States of America -- Massachusetts -- Essex -- Beverly
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, and historic information.
General:
Named after a slave who planted a flower garden on this rock ledge long before the town formerly known as Prides Crossing became popular for vacation homes for Bostonians, this property with its shingle style house was built in the 1880's with large windows facing the ocean view. However, the first owner did not install a garden. The second owner built a 3,400 square foot formal garden away from the house, walled with native stone and hidden from view on the four acre property. Comprised of a rectangle and a circle, the geometrically organized space was on two levels connected by stairs. In the 20th century the lower circular garden was shaded by a hemlock grove and featured a central pond with Henri Crenier's boy and turtle fountain sculpture. A flower border with anemones, foxgloves, lupines, gas plants, bugbane, iris and heliotrope was planted between the rough stone walls and patterned path of Majorcan pebbles that was installed, circa 1920. The rectangular upper garden had a wall fountain and tea house at one end with boxwood edged beds of roses, phlox, peonies and foxgloves with a heliotrope standard in the center. English ivy and climbing hydrangeas grew over the walls.
By 2012 when the most recent restoration of the garden was begun the rose and perennial beds were long gone, having been shaded out and replaced by lawn by an intervening owner. Shade loving perennials including astilbe, foxglove, lupine, and heliotrope were planted around the perimeter of that lawn. The lawn in the lower circular garden, now in full sun, was edged with pink dianthus and catmint. Korean dogwood and boxwood were planted on the rise between the two gardens, climbing roses were planted to climb the walls, and clematis was planted to climb the new arches over the gates. This restoration kept the hardscape walls, wall fountain, built-in bench and belvedere (tea house) and was completed in 2014.
Persons associated with the garden are General Charles Greeley Loring, Jr. (1828-1902) (former owner 1881-1902); Quincy Adams Shaw (former owner, 1902-1960); Sarah Pemberton Shaw (former owner, 1902-1945); Lydia Eliot Codman Shaw (former owner, 1947-1966); Samuel Eliot Codman (former owner, 1966-2008); William Ralph Emerson (1833-1917) (architect, 1881-1883); Arthur Little (1852-1925) & Herbert W.C. Browne (1860-1949) (architects of additions, 1903-1905); Henri Crenier (1873-1948) (sculptor, 1910); Laura Gibson (landscape architect, 2012- ).
Related Materials:
Pompey's Garden related holdings consist of 2 folders (1 glass lantern slide, 8 digital images, 1 print)
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.
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.
