Object Details
- General
- Now a public park comprised of walled gardens, memorial plaques, sculpture and open space for town events including the annual Christmas tree the approximately one acre site was developed beginning in 1978. Land was donated to contain memorials for notable colonial Virginians: Colonel James Taylor II and his wife Martha Thompson, who were the great-grandparents of President James Madison, and Lieutenant Governor and explorer Alexander Spotswood (1676-1740). Members of The Dolley Madison Garden Club were instrumental in funding and overseeing the design, donating and planting trees and 4,000 bulbs, and for ongoing upkeep of the gardens every Wednesday for ten years. The Main Street plaza is paved with brick and has brick walls, metal benches, a central round fountain, seasonal planters, ten willow oak trees and a raised bed with dogwood and spring bulbs. Curvilinear gravel paths lead through the Perennial garden planted with ground covers, shrubs and trees. Trees include river birch, hemlock, native and kousa dogwood, tulip poplar, magnolia, red oak, and redbud. Shrubs include azalea, rhododendron, barberry, various hydrangeas, and knock out roses. High brick walls screen out noise and enhance privacy. The Spotswood memorial plaza has plaques on a high brick wall detailing Spotswood's expeditions into the unexplored West and a metal sculpture. There is open space for community gatherings and events, shaded by amur maackia trees. A path through a mounded area planted with large evergreens and understory leads to the South garden, site of the annual community Christmas tree. There is a large metal sculpture of the word LOVE by local blacksmith Stokes of England, a promotion for tourism in the state. Persons associated with the garden include: Orange County Bicentennial Commission (former owner, 1974- ); Taylor Spotswood Memorial Foundation, Inc. (former owner, 1984- ); Town of Orange (owner, 1997- ); The Resources Group (preliminary park design concept, 1974); Ben Johnson and Robert Fraser, (landscape architects of schematic park design, 1978); John F. James (landscape architect for proposed repaving plan, 2013).
- Provenance
- Dolley Madison Garden Club
- Former owner
- Orange County Bicentennial Commission
- Taylor Spotswood Memorial Foundation, Inc.
- Owner
- Town of Orange
- Creator
- The Resources Group
- Landscape architect
- Johnson, Ben
- Fraser, Robert
- James, John F.
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- United States of America -- Virginia -- Orange
- Taylor Park (Orange, Virginia)
- Topic
- Gardens -- Virginia -- Orange
- Provenance
- Dolley Madison Garden Club
- Former owner
- Orange County Bicentennial Commission
- Taylor Spotswood Memorial Foundation, Inc.
- Owner
- Town of Orange
- Creator
- The Resources Group
- Landscape architect
- Johnson, Ben
- Fraser, Robert
- James, John F.
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / 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.
- Custodial History
- The Dolley Madison Garden Club facilitated the 2019 submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File VA492
- 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
- 2 folders and 25 digital images.
- 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.
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210188216-0
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