United States -- New York -- Dutchess County -- Dover Plains
Scope and Contents:
17 digital images and 1 file folder.
General:
Copperheads sits on a 40 acre property in the town of Washington located in Duchess County, New York. The only evidence of a pre-existing garden was a lone Spirea atop the stone driveway wall and mauve peonies scattered throughout the site. The present owners adapted the old cow paths, building, and barn foundation into their garden.
The present garden began in 2001 when the Greek revival house was moved twelve feet during a major restoration project. The owners adapted sites utilized by the previous farmer owners, prompted by the 150-year old time capsule discovered inside a porch column during the renovation. On the foundation of what was once a storage barn, formal double perennial borders were constructed and enclosed by arborvitae hedges roughly following the outline of the barn. Stone steps lead down into the lower half of the garden, flanked by bronze mastiffs. In the center of the perennial garden is a lily pond. A secondary growth of trees was removed to open the view over the foothills of the Berkshires. To the north of the perennial garden, a pool backed by a Doric column pergola replaces the burnt remnants of an old cow barn. A fountain rests under the pergola smothered in Dutchman's pipe, a reference to the Dutch De Forest family that placed the time capsule in the house column. A cutting garden is located beyond the pool. To the west of the pergola on a steep slope, rubble from another building was uncovered. One side of the stone foundation remains functioning as a wall separating an upper path from a small pinery developed on the slope.
While constructing the house, a deep outhouse pit was uncovered revealing shards of Dutch clay pipes, clay storage jars, animal femurs, flower pots, and hand painted pottery. A boxwood parterre was planted on the outhouse site to be used as a vegetable garden. Before the gate is an iron arch topped with a copperhead snake to support a pair of weeping larch. Beside the carriage house is an apple orchard and fruit cage for growing blueberries. A stone pathway winds through a woods garden, complete with a wooden bench. The allee terminates at an urn and behind it grows a large Hydrangea.
In 2012, a teacup garden, called the "Pan Garden," was installed adjacent to the Daffodil Meadow to the right of the driveway. Boursault rhododendrons form a circle around a single Laburnum tree.
Persons associated with the garden include: William Losee (former owner, pre-1841); Isaac N. and Augusta A. De Forest (former owners, 1841-1856); Lawrence Barrow (former owner, 1856-1859); Robert F. and Caroline Johnson (former owners, 1859-1861); Rufus Fuller (former owner, 1861-1878); John Buckley (former owner, 1878-1917); Daniel Buckley (former owner, 1817-1923); Edgar V. Anderson (former owner, 1923-1945); Margaret Middleton (former owner, 1945-1948); Laurence J. Colwell (former owner, 1948-1959); Alfred F. and Rose Rizzolo (former owners, 1959-1972); Irving Gelman (former owner, 1972-1976); Robert Goodstein and Jeanne Goodwin (former owners, 1976-present); Daryl Corsi (stonemason, 2001-2008); Werner Horst (metal artist, 2008-2012); Amy Pelletier Clark (Horticulturalist, 2010-present).
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.
