Stonewall Jackson’s Historic Garden

September 14, 2012 by dorannrule

Another camera-walk in town revealed a secret garden. Well, secret to me since I have not visited there in some time. As I walked through the gates to the Stonewall Jackson House rear entrance, I was taken by a brilliant flower show. Whereas most things are fading about now, the cloistered Jackson House garden is still thriving in spite of our flagging summer season.

Note the Little Critter Top Left

Although visitors come to tour the home of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (of Civil War fame), there is a tendency to discount the wonderful kitchen garden at the back of his house on Washington Street. I wandered into that place where he actually enjoyed participating in the planting and cultivating.

Beauty of White

Storage Shed -Jackson House Garden

Jackson’s historic garden space is small, but contains a generous variety of heritage fruits, vegetables and rose bushes, all delightful to the eye, each in its own season, and all manned by dedicated volunteers. I think it is a lovely prelude to entering the house, itself, where he lived prior to the Civil War with his second wife, Mary Anna Morrison. It is told that he was accidentally shot by his own men in friendly fire and died in the war at the age of 39.

Stonewall Jackson house located at 8 East Washington Street in Lexington, Virginia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson photographed at Winchester, Virginia 1862. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

General Stonewall Jackson recognized for raw determination (waronterrornews.typepad.com)

Posted in Camera-Walking, History and Places, Travel in Virginia, Where to Go | Tagged American Civil War, blogging inspiration, Civil War, flowers, gardening, heritage roses, heritage vegetables, Historic gardens, historic site, Jackson House, Jackson House garden, kitchen garden, Small Town America, Stonewall Jackson, Stonewall Jackson House, Virginia | 21 Comments

21 Responses

on September 14, 2012 at 10:52 pm georgettesullins

Fascinating! Who knows which are the descendent flowers of those he may have cultivated? You live in a very interesting place.
There is an antique rose farm near our farm. They raise the roses that grew in Biblical times. They’re very different from the large petaled glamorous ones we know nowadays.

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on September 14, 2012 at 10:57 pm Long Life Cats and Dogs

So glad you’re getting a last spectacular flower show. We’re just heading into Spring and looking forward to all the colour we’ve been missing so much.

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on September 14, 2012 at 11:03 pm photosfromtheloonybin

As it rains and gets colder here today, I may have to just keep looking at your beautiful flower photos all day. Great job Dor!!!

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on September 15, 2012 at 1:19 am dorannrule

🙂 🙂 🙂

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on September 15, 2012 at 1:20 am dorannrule

I’m so glad we agree Georgette on the fascinating possibility we are looking at age-old flowers. Thanks so muchfor this comment. 🙂

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on September 15, 2012 at 4:03 am Kate Kresse

love the history and garden tour too! When I lived in the Philadelphia area I was endlessly fascinated by all of the historical sites…..wonderful Dor!

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on September 15, 2012 at 5:29 am Mama's Empty Nest

Don’t you just love that such fascinating places of history are just a walk about town for you? So neat! And so great that you share it all with us.

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on September 17, 2012 at 7:02 am dorannrule

Thanks Kate!

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on September 17, 2012 at 7:03 am dorannrule

This really is a wonderful place from which to look back in time. 🙂

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on September 18, 2012 at 4:35 am winsomebella

I really enjoy my walks with you and your camera 🙂

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on September 18, 2012 at 12:43 pm Coming East

Great pictures, Dor. We’ve never been to Lexington. I don’t even know where it is. Well, I know where the one in Kentucky is because my mother was a Kentuckian.

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on September 18, 2012 at 2:23 pm Lori

That looks like a fun way to spend the day. I love heritage crops especially rose bushes. They are the only kind I grow. I think it’s sad that they have genetically altered most rose bushes and now they have lost their smell. When I pick a rose, I want it to smell like a rose.

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on September 19, 2012 at 2:20 am dorannrule

Oh winsomebella, “Pal” and I thank you for joining us and for your lovely remarks. 🙂

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on September 19, 2012 at 2:29 am dorannrule

Susan – please come and visit! Lexington, VA is not that far from you – maybe 4 hours is my guess. It’s about an hour or so from Charlottesville, VA -Follow I-64 to I-81 and head south toward Roanoke, VA. I would love to meet you guys in person and show you around.

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on September 19, 2012 at 2:33 am dorannrule

That is so sad about roses not smelling like roses anymore. I have heard they did the same thing to tomatoes. I mean tomatoes don’t taste like tomatoes anymore. Oh, what the younger generation is missing!

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on September 19, 2012 at 6:02 am Coming East

We never seem to head in that direction, Dor, because four hours each way is too long for a day trip. But you never know. We might get out there one day. Do you ever come to Virginia Beach?

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on September 20, 2012 at 8:43 am dorannrule

I hope some day you will head this way! We used to head for Williamsburg every now and then. That’s not far from you is it?

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on September 20, 2012 at 2:15 pm Coming East

No, it’s only an hour away.

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on September 22, 2012 at 8:31 am dorannrule

That’s not bad – may head your way one day! 🙂

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on September 25, 2012 at 7:35 am The Personal Side of Thomas “Stonewall”Jackson « Stuff That Interests Me

[…] Stonewall Jackson’s Historic Garden (countryliving4beginners.wordpress.com) […]

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on November 8, 2013 at 6:53 am cindy knoke

so beautiful Dor! such history!

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