United States of America -- West Virginia -- Kanawha County -- Charleston
Scope and Contents:
This file includes 15 digital images and 1 folder.
General:
This 2.15 acre property, established in 1921, includes expansive green lawns with 150 year old specimen oaks surrounding the home. Thomas Sears was the garden's primary landscape architect responsible for designing the formal design of the gardens in 1927. The current owners purchased the property in 2004 and enlisted Thomas Vasale to redesign the front entry and the woodland garden west of the house. Vasale added hardscape elements and indigenous plants and shrubs to the flagstone design by the front steps. The formal front entry is lined with boxwoods and leads to the woodland garden marked by boxwoods and dwarf maples. Holly, beauty berry, fothergilla, and chokeberry separate the driveway from the walled garden.
The original designs of the gardens indicate that Sears was challenged by the undulating topography of West Virginia because he added elevation numbers to his drawings. To solve this problem, he included a 72 foot long stairway connecting both gardens in a cross plan. This design incorporated a set of stone steps that still exist. There was once a geometric rose garden with six parterres and 400 rose bushes designed by Sears during the 1930s. Around the perimeter were wood posts and chains that connected the rose arbors flanking the steps. This garden no longer exists. An allee of pear, plum, apple, and peach trees also stood on the property. In 2004, the current owner replanted the fruit tree allee. The main hardscape elements include a garden gazebo and stone walls flanked by arborvitae. Three bears are sculpted from a tree that fell on the property. The property also features a mail order playhouse built alongside the entry to the woodland garden. A woodland walk edged with stone leads to a large meadow that was acquired in 2004. The path is flanked by holly trees and grand oaks. The ground covering in the lawn entering the woodlands is green moss, with blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry bushes that were added in 2004 for a possible snack along the hike through the woodlands and down to Big Rock.
Persons associated with the garden include: Charles Edwin Ward, Sr. (former owner, 1880s-1915); Charles Edwin Jr. And Gypsy Fleming Ward (former owners, 1915-1919); Robert E. and Margaret Ward McCabe (former owners, 1919-1957); Robert Books and Jane McCabe (former owners, 1957-2004); Brooks McCabe and Barbara Given McCabe (owners, 2004-present); Thomas W. Sears (landscape architect, 1927); Thomas Vasale (landscape designer, 2004).
This property has been featured in Matthews, F. Schuyler; Field Book of American Trees and Shrubs; G. P. Putnam's Sons; New York and London, The Knickerbocker Press, 1915.; Sargent, Charles Sprague; Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico); Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Cambridge, 1905.; Sears, Thomas W.; [New York] [Architectural Catalogue Co]; 1941.
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 -- West Virginia -- Charleston Search this
McCabe Gardens at Dalgain (Charleston, West Virginia) 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.
