Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens is a 67-acre (27 ha) public garden in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Airlie Gardens
Arches in Airlie Gardens near Gabriel's Landing
Airlie Gardens is located in North Carolina
Airlie Gardens
Airlie Gardens
Typesculpture park
Location300 Airlie Rd, Wilmington, NC 28403
Coordinates34°12′54.36″N 77°49′40.44″W
Area67-acre (27 ha)
Websitehttps://airliegardens.org/

History

It was created in 1886 as a private garden for the Pembroke Jones family by Mrs. Jones. The name 'Airlie' was derived from the Jones' family home in Scotland.[1] It was designed as a lush, flowing, naturalistic Southern garden, with thousands of azaleas, camellias, magnolias, palms, and wisteria. German landscape architect Rudolf Topel, transformed the garden to a picturesque garden.[2] In 1999, it was purchased by New Hanover County.[3]

In 2018, more than 300 trees were felled due to Hurricane Florence.[4]

Airlie Gardens is a participating member of the American Horticultural Society and offers reciprocal admission for other gardens, arboreta, and conservatories.[5]

African-American folk artist Minnie Evans was the Airlie Gardens admissions gatekeeper for a number of years.[6] In 1954, Evans created an oil on wood painting titled Airlie Oak, which is on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[7]

Airlie Oak

Airlie Oak is a 500-year-old southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located on the grounds of Airlie Gardens. In 1967, Airlie Oak was registered as member number 238 in the Live Oak Society.[8] In 2007, Airlie Oak was 128 feet (39 m) tall, had a trunk circumference exceeding 21 feet (6.4 m) and a crown spread of 104 feet (32 m) when measured by North Carolina Forest Service employees. At that time, it was designated the largest live oak in North Carolina.[9]

Mount Lebanon Chapel and Cemetery

Located on the grounds of the gardens are the Mount Lebanon Chapel and Cemetery.[10] The chapel, constructed by Thomas H. Wright around 1835, is the oldest surviving church structure in New Hanover County and part of the parish of St. James Church.

  • Airlie Oak
    Airlie Oak
  • Mount Lebanon Chapel
    Mount Lebanon Chapel
  • Statue
    Statue
  • Bottle Chapel
    Bottle Chapel
  • Pond
    Pond
  • Christmas scene
    Christmas scene

See also

References
  1. "The Story of Airlie Gardens in Wilmington". Our State Magazine. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  2. "Airlie Flower Gardens in North Carolina". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  3. Setzler, Heather (April 14, 2010). "Airlie Gardens fights possibility of being sold". wect.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  4. Staff, Hunter Ingram StarNews. "After post-Florence cleanup, Airlie Gardens to reopen Nov. 1". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  5. "2019 RAP Gardens | American Horticultural Society". www.ahsgardening.org. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  6. McGill, Douglas C. (1987-12-19). "Minnie Evans, 95, Folk Painter Noted For Visionary Work". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  7. "Airlie Oak". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  8. "Live Oak Society (Registrations beginning in 1934, 1 to 500)" (PDF). Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  9. Hotz, Amy (June 13, 2009). "Airlie Oak has watched over Wilmington for 500 years". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  10. Turberg, Edward F. (July 10, 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form|Mt. Lebanon Chapel and Cemetery" (PDF). nc.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
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