Lost Gardens of New England and Cape Cod Opens at Heritage Museums & Gardens
Published on Thursday, May 15, 2008
After an eight-month renovation project, Heritage Museums & Gardens will celebrate the reopening of the American History Museum on June 29. Over the fall and winter, the sunken gallery and built-in exhibit cases were removed to provide a large, open exhibit gallery. The first exhibit to open in this new space will be Lost Gardens of New England and Cape Cod.
Half of this exhibit has been organized by Historic New England and presented by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Boston, MA. . It features more than forty images of gardens including watercolors, historic photographs, prints, stereo view cards, garden supply catalogues, and even a mid-nineteenth-century nurseryman’s bill with a list of plant materials.
Heritage has added a special section to this exhibit examining lost gardens of Cape Cod. In cooperation with local historical societies, photographs of remarkable Cape Cod gardens will be shown including some well-known to old time Cape Codders such as the Whitney and Fay gardens of Woods Hole and the Armstrong and Parker estates of Osterville. These gardens often included elaborate beds and paths, iron fencing and gates, marble statuary and more.
The exhibit will also include a special section about the land that now makes up Heritage. Used in a variety of ways throughout the years, most notably by Charles Dexter to propagate his famous rhododendrons, Heritage is an example of a garden that was “almost lost,” but survives today.
The images in this exhibition capture each garden at a single moment in time. Today, some of the gardens are parking lots, other lie in ruins. Some have the potential for renewal. The images, however, preserve the legacy of New England's landscapes and provide inspiration to all who view them. This exhibit will be on view through October 31.
On September 6 the museum will also open an exhibit featuring the bird carvings of Elmer Crowell and his son Cleon in this building. The exhibit will tell the story of how a young man on the Cape in the late 1800s who was interested in birds became what many people believe was the greatest bird carver the United States has ever produced.
The museum is fortunate to have an extensive collection of items from the Crowell workshop. The exhibit entitled A Bird in the Hand: The Carvings of Elmer and Cleon Crowell will highlight carvings by the Crowells (as well as) a selection from the hundreds of cardboard and paper patterns used by the Crowells (and other materials from their shop). The museum is delighted to have an opportunity to again share with the public this popular and often-requested collection.
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional preservation organization in the country. It offers a unique opportunity to experience the lives and stories of New Englanders through their homes and possessions. For more information visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org
Heritage Museums & Gardens is located on 100 acres of beautiful gardens in Sandwich, Cape Cod’s oldest town. From Boston take Route 3 to the Sagamore Bridge to the mid-Cape Highway to Exit 2. North into Sandwich Village and Grove Street. From 195 take Route 25 to the Bourne Bridge and Route 6A to Route 130 and Pine Street. For complete information on all exhibits, special events, family activities, concerts and workshops visit www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org
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Contact: Judith I. Selleck
Director of Marketing
Email: jselleck@heritagemuseums.org
Phone: 508.888.3300 ext. 115