Category: History
Category
America’s First Poinsettia: The Introduction at Bartram’s Garden
It is a little-known fact that the poinsettia was introduced to the gardening world from the Bartram Botanic Garden in 1829. This international symbol of winter cheer was first successfully…
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A “Step” into Bartram History
As you stroll around the 1731 John Bartram House, you may notice stone pavers by the east, south, and west entrances. These, like the actual doors, are original to the…
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Portrait of Ann Bartram Carr as a Teenager
Born in 1779 to John Bartram, Jr. and Eliza Howell, Ann Bartram—namesake of our new Ann Bartram Carr Garden—grew up immersed in a world of farming and botany, thanks to…
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Debunking a Myth about our 1775 Bartram Barn
The Bartram Barn was built in 1775, largely by John Bartram’s son, John Bartram, Jr., who was a farmer. We sometimes overhear visitors explaining the function of its narrow window slits,…
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THE GENUS COLLINSIA — AND THE PHILADELPHIA BOTANIST
The plant genus Collinsia is named after Zaccheus Collins (1764 – 1831) who was known to William Bartram and likely, his niece Ann Bartram Carr. We asked our curator Joel…
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Bartram History: A River Walk in 1884
Bartram’s Garden curator Joel Fry recently came across a written anecdote about our area from 1884. Arthur Bliss, a physician, wrote a book called Blockley Days: Memories and Impressions of…
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An Aquatint of the Bartram House from 1913
We have a print of the John Bartram House in our conference room and thought we’d find out more about it. Says Bartram’s Garden curator Joel Fry, “This is an…
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John Bartram’s Stone Carvings
Visitors with sharp eyes will find five ornamental “blocks” in several locations around the Garden. These artistic works come from a substantial stone carving by John Bartram. Three of those…
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High Water Marks
Graffiti is not a modern phenomenon—indeed, one need look no further than our wooden boardwalk by the Schuylkill River to see examples over 200 years old. Observant visitors to Bartram’s…
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