Garden History
The mission of Sasqua Garden Club’s Garden History and Design (GH&D) Committee is to encourage the Club’s members and the community’s appreciation of American gardens. The Committee initiates educational programs for the Club that focus on good design practices and historical trends in private and public landscaping. In addition, Sasqua’s GH&D Committee works with the Garden Club of America (GCA) and the Archives of American Gardens located at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to study and document notable gardens. For over 30 years, the GCA has partnered with the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens to preserve the visual record and collective narrative of gardens. Documenting gardens provides an important piece of the contextual puzzle of social change, traditions, and trends over time, and telling gardens’ stories provides great historical knowledge and information for future generations!
Since 1998, Sasqua’s GH&D Committee has been very active in contributing to the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens. Sasqua has contributed the following gardens to this valuable repository (click on each name to see more info):
1998 Box Hill/Hinesite – #CT193
2001 Mediterranean Garden – #CT285
2011 The Garden of John and Ellen Levinson – #CT381
2013 The Downings’ Cutting Garden – #CT702
2015 The Rosetti Garden – #CT743
2016 Birdcraft Gardens – #CT744
2020 Harborside Gardens ~ in progress to be submitted 2021
To see additional images of Sasqua GC documented gardens and all other documented gardens archived within the Archives of American Gardens go to
SOVA Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives