BOTANICAL GARDEN ADDED TO NATIONAL REGISTER
Designs Sought to Commemorate Original Workforce
Norfolk Botanical Garden is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to an announcement by the National Park Service. The Garden was designated for its historic significance as a 1938 WPA project built mostly by African-American women. Norfolk Botanical Garden became a Virginia Historic Landmark earlier this year. It is one of 144 registered historic places in Hampton Roads and one of more than 2,000 in Virginia.
Norfolk Botanical Garden’s rich history began when the City of Norfolk secured a Works Progress Administration grant to clear the tree-filled swampland adjacent to the municipal airport. Through the grant, 200 African-American women and 20 African-American men cleared 25 acres of dense vegetation with pickaxes, hoes and shovels – fighting off bugs and water moccasins. When the land was cleared, the women and men planted four thousand azalea plants, two thousand rhododendron and several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees. To commemorate these workers and the Garden’s place in the region’s history, proposed designs for a work of art are being sought through a regional competition. The Request for Proposals can be found at http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org. The winning design will be completed and unveiled during the Garden’s 70th anniversary in 2008.
In 2003, gifted students from Ruffner Academy’s Community Problem Solving Team conceived of Project D.I.R.T. (Digging Into Repressed Times). Over a two-year period, the students identified and contacted the families of the original workers as well as the only known survivor, Edna Joyce, and captured their oral histories on videotape. The team’s project won an international award in early 2005 and was recognized by Norfolk City Council and Mayor Paul Fraim. Cheryl White, an Old Dominion University graduate student, worked in conjunction with NBG staff to research and prepare the applications for the state and national designations.
The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation and is comprised of 79,000 listings, including 2300 National Landmarks. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The mission of Norfolk Botanical Garden is to enrich life by promoting the enjoyment of plants and the environment through beautiful gardens and educational programs. The garden is open to the public 365 days a year. Visit www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org for photos, hours, special events and other information.
