Thursday, 13 September 2012

Longwood Gardens

This evening, after Meriam and I had spent a fascinating day at Winterthur, we traveled less than 5 miles to the world renowned Longwood Gardens. The pictures we present here speak for themselves. So, we will give you a brief history of the Gardens.

Longwood Gardens was founded by Pierre du Pont the great-grandson of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834), who arrived from France in 1800 and founded the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company gunpowder works. Pierre turned the family business into a corporate empire in the early 20th century and used his resulting fortune to develop the Longwood property.

More than 200 years earlier, the land had been inhabited by the native Lenni Lenape tribe who hunted, fished, and farmed the productive wilderness. In 1700, a Quaker family named Peirce purchased the property from William Penn and soon established a working farm. Joshua and Samuel Peirce began planting an arboretum on the farm in 1798. The farm was purchased in 1906 by Pierre du Pont so he could preserve the trees, and from 1907 until the 1930s Mr. du Pont created most of what is enjoyed today. In 1946, the Gardens were turned over to a foundation set up by Mr. du Pont. After his death in 1954 Longwood’s first director was hired. Since that time Longwood Gardens has matured into a magnificent horticultural showplace filled with countless opportunities for enjoyment and learning.

Since we have published more than 30 photographs of Longwood gardens, a separate page had been created for there viewing. From the “Pages” item in the menu above, please select “Longwood Gardens” and enjoy its magnificence.