The Colonial Gardens at Adirondack History Center Museum

This garden was conceived in 1955 and dedicated on July 22, 1956, the brain chld of Dr. and Mrs. Ira M Younger, who summered in Lewis, New York. It is an adaptation of a garden enjoyed by King Henry VIII at Hampton Court, England. The white fence design came from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello; the rear gates and walls duplicate those at the Capitol in Williamsburg; the iron benches were copied from Mt Vernon and reproduced by ironmongers of Willisamsburg.

The Colonial Garden is enjoyed by over 6,000 visitors a year. As stated by the President of the Essex County Historical Society at the time of the garden’s inauguration, “[This garden} will be, we hope, a place of repose – for comfort from which to view some of the natural beauty of the nearby Adirondacks….But mainly it should be a place where a mood is born that takes one back through the centuries- to feel the strength and the continuity of things and times that were”

Plant Species And Collections
Landscape architects, Frank Politi of Lake Placid, New York, and Alden Hopikins fro Williamsburg, Virginia along with the horticultural help from Cornell University, planned the garden.

The original horticulture plan for the garden included cedar (arborvitae), birch, hemlock, flowering crab, hawthorn, lilac, several species of bivurnum, Japanese flowering quince, spirea, honeysuckle, mugo pine and yew, among others. It also originally called for flowers grown in Colonial times. The short growing season and severe winters in the North Country as well as aesthetics, resulted in a choice of more modern varieties of old-fashioned species, resluting in the evolution of the garden which you see today.

Best Seasons And Times For Viewing
Late July through September

Don’t Miss This When Visiting
Adirondack History Center Museum

Suggested Further Reading
Available at the Adirondack History Center Museum’s bookstore.

Additional Notes
The Colonial Garden is also available for weddings and receptions by contacting Adirondack History Center Museum 518-873-6466 or [email protected]

Fees
no
ADA Accessible
yes
Tours Are Offered
no
Site is Child-friendly
yes
Site is Pet-friendly
yes