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Catalog Data

Former owner:
Hertle, Louis  Search this
Mason, George, 1725-1792  Search this
Architect:
Buckland, William, 1734-1774  Search this
Restoration architect:
Kimball, Fiske, 1888-1955  Search this
Landscape architect:
Hopkins, Alden  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Gunston Hall (Mason Neck, Virginia)
United States of America -- Virginia -- Fairfax County -- Mason Neck
Scope and Contents:
Folders include worksheets, brochures, and copies of articles. Five 35 mm. slides have not been catalogued. They include copies of images from Better Homes and Gardens America's Gardens (p. 22); brochure aerial view; and Historic Virginia Gardens (pp. 110-111, 300, and 301).
General:
George Mason built Gunston Hall between 1753 and 1755. The house and gardens remained in the Mason family until the 1860s. After the Civil War ended, owners worked to restore the house and gardens which were destroyed by troops. Louis Hertle added a perola, rose garden with hybrid tea roses, and a reflecting pool. By 1934, nothing remained of the eighteenth-century garden except for the box hedge. When the Garden Club of Virginia took over the garden restoration, the pools, fountains, figures, summer house, roses, and flowering cherry trees were removed. Four parterres along the boxwood walk were planted in dwarf box. Also, two Chinese Chippendale gazebos were built on the outer corners of the lower terrace. The gardens and museum are open to the public.
Persons associated with the property include: George Mason (former owner, 1755-1792); General Robert Gibson Smith or Colonel Edward Daniels (former owner, ca. 1870); Jospeh Specht (former owner); Paul Kester (former owner, 1907-1913); Louis Hertle (former owner, 1913-1949); Commonwealth of Virginia (owner); William Buckland (architect, ca. 1753); National Society of Colonial Dames (caretakers, 1932-present); Alden Hopkins (landscape designer, ca. 1950); Glenn Brown (architect for restorations of house and grounds, ca. 1912); Garden Club of Virginia (garden designers); William and Harvey Nursery (transplanting box, 1952); and Thurman Bushrod (gardener).
Related Materials:
Gunston Hall related holdings consist of 1 folder (12 glass lantern slides and 10 35 mm. slides)
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.
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- Virginia -- Mason Neck  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File VA003
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Virginia
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb625fcaa7c-d5fb-4bbf-8e44-affd075ae63a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref18938