The next day was complete sunshine and much warmer, so we ditched the planned trip to Philadelphia in favor of spending the day at Longwood Gardens. Mary Jo and Spot had not been there before and were happy with that choice.
Below are excerpts from the Longwood Garden home page:
In July 1906, 36-year-old Pierre du Pont purchased the farm primarily to preserve the trees. But as we know now, he didn’t stop there. Much of what guests see today – the majesty and magic that is Longwood Gardens – was shaped by the remarkable vision and versatility of Pierre du Pont, one of our nation’s most extraordinary citizens.
Ten years after purchasing Longwood, Pierre du Pont was just getting warmed up. By 1916 he was contemplating grand indoor facilities “designed to exploit the sentiments and ideas associated with plants and flowers in a large way.”
By the mid-1930s, Longwood had grown from the original 202 acres to 926 acres due to Pierre’s purchase of 25 contiguous properties over the years. In addition to horticulture, agriculture had always been important at Longwood, which started out, after all, as a farm.
In 1913, the government had enacted personal income tax. In response, Pierre incorporated Longwood in 1914. He always tried to stay one step ahead of the IRS to keep his farm and gardens in the best possible tax situation, and in 1937 the Longwood Foundation was created to handle his charitable giving. Finally, in 1946, the government gave approval for the Foundation to operate Longwood Gardens as a public garden with tax-exempt status “for the sole use of the public for purposes of exhibition, instruction, education and enjoyment.”
One of the highlights of Pierre’s final years was the 150th anniversary of the du Pont’s arrival in the United States, held at Longwood Gardens in 1950 with 632 family members from around the world in attendance. In 1954, just three days after being awarded the Cravate de Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor, Pierre died from a ruptured aorta. He was 84 years old.
Now on to the pictures:
Near the end of our visit Mary Jo got a wheelchair and a man to push it so she could get a rest. I think this is the day Anne said she had 16,000 steps!
It had been a long day — again — so we opted to go to Jessop’s Tavern in New Castle to bring home pot roast and meatloaf and warm them up after a little rest and a cocktail for me! New Castle had some big time charm and interesting little streets.
We absolutely LOVED this, our last day. It was wonderful!!!!!
Beth
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