United States of America -- Virginia -- Fauquier County -- Warrenton
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes articles and 7 reference prints of the digital images.
General:
Warrenton Country School was a private academy for female students that operated between the years 1915 and 1950. Originally the site was a 13-acre parcel with a clubhouse and tennis court. By the time the site was sold it had grown to 16.5 acres through the additions of small land purchases. There were eleven buildings described as having characteristics of Tudor revival, Colonial revival, Craftsman and French eclectic styles. Boston landscape architect Bradford Williams was engaged to design the landscape, and the owner and headmistress of the school was a gardening enthusiast. The grounds included borders with boxwood, daisies and roses, a small stone cottage, probably a staff member's residence, with clipped tree standards and window boxes, and ornate cast iron furniture in the grape pattern. A waterway could have been the Rappahannock River or a creek in the Potomac River watershed. The grounds were open to the public during the school's operational years, but the property was closed after it was sold to the federal government and became a CIA campus.
Students at the school were required to speak in French and ride horses. The school's logo was a cartoon figure in a hooded cape known as Le Capuchon. A student was photographed as Le Capuchon and the community has been trying to uncover her identity.
Persons associated with the garden include: Lea Marie Bouligny (former owner, 1907-1950); Bradford Williams (landscape architect, 1930-1935).
Related Materials:
Warrenton Country School related holdings consist of 1 folder (19 glass lantern slides (autochromes); 19 digital images (copies))
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images 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.
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.
United States of America -- Virginia -- Charles City County -- Charles City
Upper Weyanoke (Charles City, Virginia)
Scope and Contents:
2 folders, 39 digital images (2019), and 1 35mm slide (reproduction of a 1931 plan).
Varying Form:
Weyanoke
General:
That the 360-foot long garden path was cultivated in the mid-19th century when the two-story Greek Revival brick house was built is undisputed. Less certain is whether there was an earlier version of the garden in colonial times when Upper Weyanoke was settled as a James River plantation. Transport to this location during the colonial period would have been via the river and the owners would have provided a gracious entry. Moreover, there are trees along the garden path that predate 1850, even a live oak not usually grown in this climate. Axial lines and symmetry were features of colonial gardens, and the walk leads directly from the living quarters to the river. The 19th century Colonial Revival garden path may well have been on the site of the original 17th and garden path overlooking terraces. There was a 17th century brick garrison built on the property to defend against native attacks; the second existing house, a 1-1/2 story brick cottage with later additions cited in official documents, was originally built in the first quarter of the 19th century.
Since 2010 the current owners have devoted eight years to restoring and replanting the garden path, a linear grass walkway bordered on each side by southern and saucer magnolia, fig, boxwood, crape myrtle, camellia, vitex, spirea and huge sweet olive that have grown beyond their usual dimensions. After clearing dead vegetation and weeds from the borders they planted 1500 heirloom narcissus, dug a new well and installed a sprinkler system. In 2011 Hurricane Irene toppled 30 trees in this garden and stalled the restoration. With more sunshine reaching the borders previously hidden perennials started blooming again, including peonies, iris, red spider lilies and narcissus. Hundreds of bulbs, shrubs and trees were added to the garden path, especially native varieties favored by pollinators. Weather conditions include strong winds off the James River so non-symmetrical drifts of certain plants have been more successful than trying to sustain matching borders.
The 53-acre property has been inhabited nearly continuously since the 1600's and the word Weyanoke translates to Land of Sassafras in the native language. The sassafras growing at the river end of the garden path is more than 60 feet tall, now at cliff's end due to erosion. The plantation was commandeered by Union troops under Generals Grant and Sheridan during the Civil War; ornamental gardens including terraces would have been trampled. Also, author Mary Johnston used Upper Weyanoke as the setting for To Have and To Hold written in 1900. The property was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Persons associated with the garden include: the Minge family (former owners, mid-1700's-1840's); Martha A. Orgain (former owner, c. 1842-1854); Fielding Lewis Douthat and Mary Willis Marshall Douthat and family (former owners, 1854-1930's); Dr. and Mrs. Alexander Yelverton Peyton Garnett (former owners, 1930's-1942); Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lawrence Bahnsen (former owners, 1942-1974); Mrs. Louise Moon (former owner, 1974-1997); Mr. and Mrs. John Moon and Sarah Moon Gray (former owners, 1997-2010); Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Lewis Gray (owners, 2010- ); Norman Edwards and Wesley Edwards (gardeners, 2010- ); Chip Callaway (landscape architect, 2010-2014); Abbie Wharton, Sue Thompson and Terry Tosh (landscape designers, 2011- ); Peter Girardi (arborist, 2010- ); Ike Carter (landscaping, 2010- ).
Additional images of Garden Path before and during restoration and after Hurricane Irene (2011); historic images from the Arthur A. and Sidney Shurcliff collections.
Related Materials:
See the Archives of American Gardens' Eleanor Weller Reade Collection and the Hollerith Family Slide Collection for additional images. Measured drawing (1931) by Arthur Shurcliff located at the Colonial Wiliamsburg Foundation Library.
Related materials found at the Francis Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia state.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images 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.
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.
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Montgomery County -- Gladwyne
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes a work sheet, site plans, and narrative history.
General:
Rocky Crest contains over fifteen acres that overlook Mill Creek. The lower 5.9 acres are known as the Alberta and Joseph Pew Memorial Preserve, protected in perpetuity under a conservation easement held by Natural Lands Trust. The upper 9.5 acres, also under an easement, contain the residence, carriage house, swimming pool, tennis courts, greenhouses, and gardens. The gardens were begun in 1905 by James S. Austin (1857-1919). Deeds at this time named the property "Rocky Crest." Austin used the name and applied it to a new, three-story, Colonial Revival stone estate that was built on the site by 1908. Existing features by Thomas Sears include a stone semicircular pool that leads to a raised rectangular garden; a stone terrace that serves as an overlook to the swimming pool and vista below; niche with fountain; integrated stone walls and steps; and small pools that feed into larger ones. In 1994, Christopher Masson replaced flagstone paving with block paving in the courtyard (later replaced by a gravel finish). Masson also designed a formal garden using a pattern of scalloped squares.
A large, gravel courtyard balances the front of this home. The courtyard leads through a wrought iron gate to a terrace from which to view formal garden beds enclosed by old stone walls. The double border sets off a pool house, which is graced by a trellised entry arch. To the left of the walled garden, the pool is fed by a Moorish-style waterway. The large brick and flagstone terrace behind the house boasts a box-edged parterre and oversees rolling lawn in the English landscape garden style.
Persons associated with the garden include: James S. Austin (former owner, 1905); Joseph N. and Alberta Pew, Jr. (former owners, 1919-1988); Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Burch (former owners, 1989-1994); Thomas W. Sears (landscape architect, 1934); and Christopher Masson (landscape architect, 1994).
Related Materials:
Rocky Crest related holdings consist of 1 folder (3 35mm. slides)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original images 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.
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.
Currently stored in box 3.2.45 [66], moved from [74].
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. The original glass plate is available for inspection if necessary in the Archives Center. A limited number of fragile glass negatives and positives in the collection can be viewed directly in the Archives Center by prior appointment. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Woodbridge Research Center). Sec F4, Along Catamount Creek drainage in waterway, S of Charlie Culvert, Prince William, Virginia, United States, North America
Waimea District, along highway 50 east of PMRF (near Mana), by DOFAW bird sanctuary, located on ridge along side a waterway., Kauai, Hawaii, United States, Pacific Islands
