Alexandria -- River Farm
Object Details
sova.aag.gca_ref18786
- Former Title
- Wellington Walnut Tree Farm Cliftons Neck
- General
- River Farm was first called Piscataway Neck by Margaret and Captain Giles Brent in 1653. During William Clifton's ownership, the property was known as Cliftons Neck. George Washington bought the property in 1760 to lease. The largest track at this time was called "River Farm." Tobias Lear, a renter, had called the property Walnut Farm. In 1859, a century after Washington purchased the property from Clifton, Charles Augustine Washington sold 652 acres of River Farm to three Quaker brothers, Stacey, Isaac, and William Snowden of New Jersey in order to acquire lumber for the ship building. The Snowdens divided the acreage, then known as Wellington, into three sections. In 1866, 280 acres including the present-day River Farm were sold to three men known as "The Syndicate." A writer from The Washington Sunday Star visited the estate in 1904 and referred to it as "this broken and pathetic house." The Wellington property was subsequently purchased in 1912 by Miss Theresa Thompson, a member of a prominent local family. Miss Thompson made changes and improvements at Wellington, but is was for Malcolm Matheson, who bought the property in 1919, to transform it into the early-20th century country estate we know today. The American Horticultural Society purchased River Farm in 1973 and made it their headquarters. The Society maintains display and test gardens on the 27 acre site. The 1757 main house is furnished in period; and the gardens offer identified plants.
- Persons associated with the property include: Captain Giles Brent (former owner, 1653); Giles Brent (former owner); George Brent (former owner); Cliftons of Chotank (former owners 1739); George Washington (former owner, 1760); Charles Augustine Washington (former owner); Stacey, Isaac, and William Snowden (former owners, 1859); "The Syndicate" (former owners, 1866); Miss Theresa Thompson (former owner, 1912); Malcolm Matheson (former owner, 1919); and the American Horticultural Society (owners, 1973-present).
- Former owner
- Washington, George, 1732-1799
- Resident
- Lear, Tobias, 1762-1816
- Former owner
- Clifton, William
- Owner
- American Horticultural Society
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- River Farm (Alexandria, Virginia)
- United States of America -- Virginia -- City of Alexandria -- Alexandria
- Topic
- Gardens -- Virginia -- Alexandria
- Former owner
- Washington, George, 1732-1799
- Resident
- Lear, Tobias, 1762-1816
- Former owner
- Clifton, William
- Owner
- American Horticultural Society
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Virginia
- 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.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File VA110
- Type
- Archival materials
- 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
- Garden has been featured in Frances Archer Christian and Susanne Williams Massie, eds., Homes and Gardens in Old Virginia (Richmond: Garrett and Massie, Incorporated, 1962), pp. 37-39.
- Scope and Contents
- There are three 35 mm. slides depicting horticultural details which were not catalogued. The folder includes a work sheet, site analysis map-1985, article copy and brochure.
- 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
- River Farm related holdings consist of 2 folders (3 glass lantern slides and 10 35 mm. slides)
AAG.GCA_ref18786
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6de036a2b-ea32-4acd-9a21-8c288309c490
AAG.GCA
AAG
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210187716-0
Related Content
1 result(s)-
The Garden Club of America collection
sova.aag.gca
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Names
- New York Flower Show
- Topic
- Gardens -- France
- Gardens -- Italy
- Gardens -- Japan
- Gardens -- Mexico
- Flower shows
- Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc
- Gardens -- England
- Landscape architecture
- Gardens -- United States
- Gardens -- Spain
- Gardens -- Scotland
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- See more items in
- 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.
- Summary
- This collection contains over 37,000 35mm slides, 3,000 glass lantern slides and garden files that may include descriptive information, photocopied articles (from journals, newspapers, or books), planting lists, correspondence, brochures, landscape plans and drawings. Garden files were compiled by Garden Club of America (GCA) members for most of the gardens included in the collection. Some gardens have been photographed over the course of several decades; others only have images from a single point in time. In addition to images of American gardens, there are glass lantern slides of the New York Flower Show (1941-1951) and trips that GCA members took to other countries, including Mexico (1937), Italy, Spain, Japan (1935), France (1936), England (1929), and Scotland. A number of the slides are copies of historic images from outside repositories including horticultural and historical societies or from horticultural books and publications. The GCA made a concerted effort in the mid-1980s to acquire these images in order to increase its documentation of American garden history. Because of copyright considerations, use of these particular images may be restricted.
- Accruals note
- The GCA continues to document American gardens and submit images and documentation to the Archives of American Gardens. Further accruals are expected.
- Biographical/Historical note
- The Garden Club of America was established in 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when the Garden Club of Philadelphia and eleven other garden clubs met to create a national garden club. Its purpose is to foster the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and gardening and conservation efforts. The GCA was incorporated in Delaware in 1923, with its headquarters established in New York City. Today, local clubs are organized under twelve regional zones. The GCA continues its tradition of hosting flower shows and publishing material related to gardening in the United States. The GCA's glass lantern slides were used by The GCA for presentations and lectures about notable gardens throughout the United States dating back to colonial times. An effort was made in the late 1980s, in preparation of the 75th anniversary of the Garden Club of America's founding, to collect the disbursed slides. These slides were to eventually form the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. The informational value of this collection is extensive since a number of images of the more than 4,500 gardens represented show garden designs that have changed over time or no longer exist. While the majority of images document a range of designed upper and upper-middle class gardens throughout the U.S., the scope of the collection is expanding as volunteers photograph and document contemporary gardens including community and vernacular gardens. The gardens illustrate the design work of dozens of landscape architects including Marian Coffin, Beatrix Farrand, Lawrence Halprin, Hare & Hare, Umberto Innocenti, Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, Warren Manning, the Olmsted Brothers, Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and Fletcher Steele. Because of their proximity to the gardens, works of notable architects and sculptors may also be featured in the images.
- Extent
- 37,000 Slides (35mm slides)
- 33 Linear feet ((garden files))
- 3,000 Lantern slides
- 37,000 Slides (35mm slides)
- 33 Linear feet ((garden files))
- 3,000 Lantern slides
- Date
- circa 1920-present
- Custodial History note
- The GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1992; this became the core collection of the Archives of American Gardens.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Slides
- Lantern slides
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Slides (photographs)
- Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America 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.
- Genre/Form
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Lantern slides
- Slides (photographs)
- 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.
AAG.GCALarge EADhttps://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47AAG.GCAAAG- Record ID
- ebl-1562776092361-1562776095300-0