Beverly -- Tea House Garden, Moraine Farm
Object Details
sova.aag.gca_ref33239
- General
- The Tea House Garden is a small sunken flower garden that occupies 1/4 acre on the 175 acre Moraine Farm. The tea house itself is an octagonal shape with fluted columns and a shingled dome on top of a fieldstone grotto. It features a vast lawn that extends south from the house and terrace, as well as a circular pool. The east and west walls of the lawn are constructed of trees, shrubs, and dragon tooth. The property overlooks a panoramic view of Wenham Lake from a terrace that spans the length of the house.
- Frederick Law Olmsted was involved in the development of the property between 1879 and 1880 when John C. Phillips acquired several small farms to renovate, including this one. Olmsted worked with the architectural firm Peabody and Stearns to determine the position of the house, as well as its visual and physical connection with the naturalistic landscape adjacent to the house and along the road. Though the first owner desired a vibrant flower garden, Olmsted discouraged his client from clashing the brilliance of a colorful garden with the native shrubs and trees. He ultimately decided to place the flower garden within the rock-bound framework of the residential landscape, and out of sight of the house. John W. Watson of Lawrence Watson and Son built a stone wall and terrace on the property in 1880.
- The original owner continued to take interest in the Tea House Garden after her husband's death in 1885. In 1907, she commissioned Beatrix Jones [Farrand] to design a water garden. While Jones' original plans depicted a horseshoe shaped pond amongst perennials, photographs taken that year prove that the water garden created did not reflect Jones' plan. The idea for a shrubbery bed was replaced by a circular lily pond and fountain. After the original owner's death in 1925, her children sold the property to George and Katherine Batchelder Jr. In 1928, the new owners removed the grape arbor, kept the circular pond, and designed a new trap rock path system that reflected the horseshoe shape of the dragon tooth wall. In 2017, the Moraine Farm Landscape Committee asked member Lolly Gibson to simplify the garden to reduce maintenance requirements and make upkeep more sustainable. Her alterations are reflected in the current documentation of the garden, such as the added mulched maintenance paths in the large beds.
- Inside the dragon tooth wall are azaleas, andromeda, laurel, white rose of Sharon, Summersweet and Lilacs that form a backdrop for summer blooming Astilbe, Fairy Candles, Hosta, Lysimachus, Sedum, Thalictrum, Thermopsis, and Turk's Cap Lily. European Ginger, Lady Ferns, Maidenhair Ferns, and Trillium lie beneath the shrubs. Roses, lilacs, sweetspire, and anemones frame the grotto of the teahouse. The circular pond is surrounded by roses, catmint, and peonies, and behind it are germander edged perennial beds. One can see azaleas through the tea house windows. Moss continues to cover the stone used as the tea house foundation as it did in Olmsted's day.
- Persons associated with the garden include: John Charles and Anna Tucker Phillips (former owners, 1878 – 1885, 1885 – 1925); John Charles Phillips Sr., and William Phillips (former owners, 1925 – 1928); George Lewis Batchelder Jr., and Katherine Tiffany Abbot Batchelder (former owners, 1928 – 1977); George Lewis Batchelder III and Wilhelmina VanLier Batchelder (former owners, 1977 – 1999); Batchelder Trust (former owner, 1991 - present); Project Adventure (74 acres including garden area); (owner, 1999 to present); The Trustees of Reservations (37 acres) (owners, 2010 – present); Frederick Law Olmsted/ Olmsted Bros. (landscape architects, 1879 – 1884/ 1948 – 1968); Beatrix Jones {Farrand} (landscape architect, 1907); Grace Kirkwood (landscape architect, 1960); Thomas Wirth (landscape architect, 1986); Laura Gibson (landscape architect, 2017).
- Provenance
- North Shore Garden Club of Massachusetts
- Former owner
- Phillips, John Charles
- Phillips, Anna Tucker
- Owner
- Project Adventure
- Former owner
- The Trustees of Reservations
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted Brothers
- Farrand, Beatrix, 1872-1959
- Kirkwood, Grace
- Wirth, Thomas
- Gibson, Laura
- Photographer
- Gibson, Lolly
- Mason
- Watson, John H.
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- United States of America -- Massachusetts -- Essex -- Beverly
- Topic
- Gardens -- Massachusetts -- Beverly
- Tea House Garden, Moraine Farm (Beverly, Massachusetts)
- Provenance
- North Shore Garden Club of Massachusetts
- Former owner
- Phillips, John Charles
- Phillips, Anna Tucker
- Owner
- Project Adventure
- Former owner
- The Trustees of Reservations
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted Brothers
- Farrand, Beatrix, 1872-1959
- Kirkwood, Grace
- Wirth, Thomas
- Gibson, Laura
- Photographer
- Gibson, Lolly
- Mason
- Watson, John H.
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Massachusetts
- 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 North Shore Garden Club of Massachusetts facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation in 2020.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File MA169
- 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.
- Scope and Contents
- This file contains 2 folders, 2 35mm slides (1987), 11 digital images and 3 photographic prints (2020).
- 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.
AAG.GCA_ref33239
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb612039030-a3fc-458e-aa41-f6cf49a0b8cf
AAG.GCA
AAG
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210180578-0
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
- 37000 Slides (photographs) (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 (photographs)
- Lantern slides
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- 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