Aiken -- Rose Hill (SC)

Object Details

GUID

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6a0bd962f-9976-4567-a25f-1bfb413d6a6a

General

Rose Hill was the estate of Sheffield and Claudia (nee Lea) Phelps. The 4.14 acre estate encompasses an entire city block at one of the highest points in Aiken, South Carolina. It was built as a winter retreat for the Phelps family of Teaneck, New Jersey on the site of an antebellum plantation that had burned. Aiken is situated in the western sand hills of South Carolina, a high sandy ridge situated across the midlands of the State. It is known for its sandy, rapidly draining soil and thus a lower annual humidity compared to other areas in South Carolina. The sandy soil also provides excellent footing for equestrian pursuits. Due to its favorable climate, Aiken became a health and sporting retreat in the late 1800s to early 1900s and thus a "Winter Colony" of wealthy Northerners was formed. Those that could afford a second home would build estates that were typical of the English Country aesthetic with pleasure grounds having both formal and woodland areas using native trees and shrubs as well as exotic ornamentals that looked as if they naturally belonged. Mrs. Phelps designed her garden after the house was constructed in 1901. The front half of the property includes the home, the garden and a former tennis court; the back half was the working portion of the property with a large stable, dog kennel, carriage house and dependency cottages. Claudia Phelps was both a gardener and keen plant collector. She sourced plants from around the globe through familial connections, her travels abroad and through trade with fellow gardeners. Fruitlands Nursery in Augusta, Georgia, now the home of the Augusta National, was a local source for many of the plants at Rose Hill. Mrs. Phelps was a highly regarded Camellia japonica collector and Rose Hill has many old varieties that one does not typically see in the large retail garden centers. She produced a pamphlet on camellia cultivation and kept detailed lists of her collection. Her botanical book collection was donated to the Thomas Cooper Library of the University of South Carolina. Most notable in the collection were the rare books about camellias. The garden demonstrates strong axes with hedges of cherry laurel and azaleas that line the garden paths. The pathways lead to water features and a summer tea cottage. Situated between the walkways are expanses of lawn that are dotted with ornamentals especially winter blooming plants like camellias and native azaleas. She made use of the iron cemented sandstone that is unique to the sand hills region. It is frequently found in old Aiken gardens. She used it to edge pathways and beds, to build seating areas, pediments, fountains, planters, and pond edging. The former tennis courts were converted by Mrs. Phelps first to a boxwood maze and then later to a lawn with a brick gazebo in the center. Legend recounts that the tennis court encouraged too much drinking and gambling so she converted the court into a garden area and placed a gazebo in the center. In 1924, Mrs. Phelps invited 24 women to Rose Hill to form the Garden Club of Aiken, South Carolina's first garden club. In 1930, she would go on to help found the Garden Club of South Carolina and would be elected its first president and only lifetime president. She patterned many of the endeavors of the Garden Club of Aiken after those of the Garden Club of America. The Rose Hill garden fell into considerable neglect in the late 1980s. Using garden notes from Mrs. Phelps' lead gardener, her great-granddaughter, Stephanie Wilds, was able to return the garden to much of its original layout. Today Rose Hill retains many relics that were described in the 1935 book, Carolina Gardens, by E.T.H. Shaffer. He remarks that Mrs. Phelps beautifully combines plants native to South Carolina, the Southeast and those from far off places. Mrs. Phelps died in 1955. Her daughter, Claudia Lea Phelps, also an active member of the Garden Club of Aiken and the Garden Club of South Carolina, lived at the property her entire life. She died in 1974. Rose Hill is a private property that has operated as an inn and events facility for the past twenty years. Persons associated with the garden's design: Claudia Phelps (nee Lea) (plant collector, designer, gardener, 1898-1955); Claudia Lea Phelps (gardener, 1924-1974); Stephanie Wilds (gardener, 1991-2003).

Photographer

Wiedenman, Charlotte

Garden designer

Phelps, Claudia (Claudia Lea)

Provenance

The Garden Club of Aiken (Aiken, South Carolina )

Collection Creator

Garden Club of America

Place

Rose Hill Estate (Aiken, South Carolina)

United States of America – South Carolina – Aiken County – Aiken

Topic

Gardens -- South Carolina -- Aiken

Private gardens

Landscape gardens

Formal gardens

Historic landscapes

Allées

Benches

Containers

Exedrae (site elements)

Fountains

Garden walks

Sculptures

Teahouses

Tennis courts

Terraces

Wall fountains

Pools

Photographer

Wiedenman, Charlotte

Garden designer

Phelps, Claudia (Claudia Lea)

See more items in

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / South Carolina

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.

Custodial History

The Garden Club of Aiken facilitated the submission of this garden's redocumentation in 2023.

Archival Repository

Archives of American Gardens

Identifier

AAG.GCA, File SC016

Type

Archival materials

Digital images

Slides (35mm transparencies)

Collection Citation

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

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.

Bibliography

This property is featured in Life and Sport in Aiken and Those Who Made It by Harry Worchester Smith, published by Derrydale Press, 1935, p. 6; Carolina Gardens by E.T.H. Shaffer, published by the University of North Carolina Press, 1939; "The Shingle Style" by Marcus Whiffen in American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles, published by the MIT Press, 1969, pp. 127-132; "Miss Claudia Phelps" by Kay Lawrence, published in Sandlapper, 1970; Heroes, Horses and High Society by Kay Lawrence, published by R.L Bryan Company, 1971; The Shingle Style and the Stick Style: Architectural Theory and Design from Richardson to the Origins of Wright by Vincent Scully, published by Yale University Press, 1971.

Genre/Form

Digital images

Slides (35mm transparencies)

Scope and Contents

1 35mm slides (1942), 24 digital images (2023) and 2 file folders (one physical, one digital).

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.

Related Materials

Home movies of the garden are located in the Phelps sisters collection, The University of South Carolina University Libraries in Columbia, South Carolina.

Record ID

ebl-1643208220039-1643210186592-2