History Lecture - Inventing the Colonial Garden

Our History Lecture for October is Inventing the Colonial Revival Garden presented by Val Libby.

By 1880, urban growth, industrialization, and mass immigration had unsettled many Americans, especially city dwellers, and caused them to turn to an imagined past. They believed the colonial towns of New England embodied the more secure, simpler and less stressful life for which they yearned. In response, they purchased and restored old buildings. They also created gardens as picturesque settings for the properties they restored. These gardens bore little resemblance to those of the “cherished” past. Plants were chosen as favorites of a previous generation rather than based on historical research. Let’s look at the work of creative, if mistaken, designers and the surviving examples of Colonial Revival gardens.

Val Libby retired as a professor of landscape history and public horticulture at Temple University. She has lectured and taught internationally and is the award-winning author of The Northwest Gardens of Lord & Schryver (2022). She currently teaches for Acadia Senior College.

Suggested donation $5. Light refreshments will be served.

Space is limited. Please RSVP for each person that plans to attend.

The History Lecture Series is sponsored by Legacy Properties of Sotheby's International Realty.

You may also like the following events from Woodlawn Museum:

• This month, 18th October, 10:00 am, Enchanted Forest Festival - Fairy houses and nature crafts in Ellsworth

Also check out other Arts events in Ellsworth, Literary Art events in Ellsworth, Nonprofit events in Ellsworth.