Thoughts on the history and creation of Longwood Gardens

---

I was recently happy to visit the east coast to see family. My sister lives near Philadelphia, and we decided on a day trip to the enchanting Longwood Gardens for an early Mothers Day treat for my mom and sister.

We arrived at 10am. After six hours of walking, our feet were exhausted and our eyes overwhelmed with the visual stimulation. We had only seen about half of the grounds.

---

---

Keep in mind that this garden is continually shifting with the seasons, and many features are evolving and changing - new exhibits, activities, festivals and events. During the holidays, both the Fourth of July fireworks and the Christmas tree display are said to be amazing!

In subsequent posts, I hope to be be highlighting my visit with more in depth photos of the garden and conservatory, as well as my deep dream generator artwork using various photos.

Please make sure to check out @soundwavesphotons fractal artwork featuring a few of my flower photos here!

---

---

Longwood Gardens is a breath-taking botanical park consisting of more than one thousand acres of exhibits and accessible walking trails. Think about the size of that - over 1000 acres!!! That's the equivalent of almost two square miles.

---

---

At present, the park features an extensive floral and botanical garden with species from all over the world. There is a vast indoor greenhouse and Conservatory, sprawling outdoor exhibits of flowers, trees, bush, aquatic plants, open woodlands and meadows, topiaries, fountains, retaurants, a gift shop, and the original Peirce Du Pont house which aquaints visitors with the history of the Gardens.

---

---

The history of this piece of property is pretty amazing. Before the advent of european settlers, most of the northeast coastal region was home to the Leni Lenape native american tribes, so the area was originally dense uncultivated woodland. The original 402 acres was acquired back in the early 1700s by the Peirce family, who cleared the land and built a farm house on the property in 1730 which remains standing.

---

---

In the early 1800s, the Peirce great grandsons began work on a fifteen acre arboretum; a collection of trees and plants of numerous species from a variety of locations. By the 1850s, their collection had grown to over over forty acres of trees and plants, and was renowned for its beauty and diversity.

---

---

For the last half of the century, until the late 1890s, this location was known as "Peirce's Park"; a well known nature preserve where families and rich socialites gathered for picnics, weddings and social events in the great outdoors. Sadly, the later Peirce heirs lost interest in maintaining the property, and by 1906, the trees were about to be sold off for lumber.

---

---

In 1906, the property was bought by Pierre Du Pont, one of the three well-to-do DuPont grandsons; heirs to the estate who brought the Du Pont business from relative obscurity into nationwide then international fame.

Over the next few decades, Pierre Du Pont developed and added to his gentleman farmer "hobby" by advancing the holdings. He recreated an Italian style Open Air Theatre and social venue on the property, then turned to designing and building the huge indoor greenhouse style Conservatory and music room.

In between the world wars, Du Pont continued with his various gardening projects, installing an aquatic garden, fountain garden, topiary garden and a grand ballroom with a huge aeolian organ.

---

---

Improving and maintaining this vast collection of plants and trees must have been a labour of love. Pierre Du Pont and his wife Alice travelled extensively throughout the world to track down new species for their garden.

The Gardens were always handled as a business however. Since the Du Ponts were well known in society, their connections garnered a huge number of charitable donations and investors from the early 1920s onward. They entertained lavishly on the estate, supporting the arts with events in their Open Air Theatre and Music auditorium.

---

---

Today, the annual operating fees of Longwood Gardens are close to $50,000,000. The Gardens attract between 4000-5000 international visitors a day at $20-$30 a head. Also collected are the fees for the banquet/ballroom and music areas, which are rented out for social events and weddings.

---

---

Many of the benefits Longwood Gardens provides today may far outweigh the costs over time. Today the Gardens boast an extensive research and educational program, including the use of the land to advance sustainable farming and technological practices such as the 10 acre solar field they use to reduce operating costs and environmental impact. On site and locally grown organic produce is used in their cafe, and all transport vehicles utilize electric or hybrid energy options.

---

---

Pierre Du Pont was admirable in the fact that early on he was wise to taxation laws, and in 1914 Incorporated the holding to lessen the property tax base. In 1946 Longwood Garden was made into a non profit with tax-exempt status, for the purpose of exhibition and education. He and his wife Alice contributed to many local hospitals and schools. He was without a doubt a generous and enthusiastic man, and incredibly commited to his grand passion of botanical collection and preservation.

---

---

While I share this mans passion for nature and conservation, I cannot help but wonder about the means he used to create this wonderland that many now enjoy. I think about the cost of how much money the construction of the gardens took to build, and how the Du Pont workers wages were diverted in the early years of the business and during the war and depression to bring the Garden to the state it is in today.

The products Du Pont (the company*) created are the base materials of technology, yet I always question the cost that the earth and humanity paid to allow the Du Pont fortune. I contemplate how many people could have been fed and educated while the Du Pont heirs became rich off the spoils of industry and war.

---

---

What is your viewpoint? Should CEOs (keep in mind the many family members employed in the business also bringing in high paying salaries) make so much money that they can afford to choose where and how it should be allocated? Is government just another form of a giant CEO that allocates money to pet projects while ignoring their responsibilities to the workers in the company? Is there room for ethics in corporate business?

_{endnote: The Du Pont company was founded in the early 1800s as a gunpowder mill business. After 1902, after the original founder passed away, and the business gradually shifted into selling dynamite and chemicals, then coalesced into automotive investments, various polymers and synthetic materials, and later bomb building and oil and gas holdings.}

---

---

Despite my philosophical ponderings, I highly enjoyed my visit to the Gardens and highly recommend it to anyone in a position to venture into the gate.

_{Source material for this article comes from memory, assisted by wikipedia and https://longwoodgardens.org/}

All photos are by @torico