The Kent Delord House Museum has benefited from years of these dedicated members or "keepers" of the Delord family legacy. However, until 1986 with the inception of the Kent Delord Garden Club, the gardens laid dormant and the fence and gate that welcomed the Delord guests was in storage. Drawing from family diaries, correspondence, historical records, maps and photographs, members recreate these historical gardens and grounds.
A detailed booklet designed by Sally Booth, a founding member of the Garden Club, describes the early gardens as well as giving an overview of the plans used to reconstruct the gardens. Download here.
Some Garden History
1812 Lieutenant de Russey, an Army engineer and map maker laid out the land to the west of the house in formal gardens with walkways, similar to gardens of his native France.
1819 Henry Delord drew by hand a plan for the front gardens and referred to it as "My Wife and Frances' Flower Garden"
Garden Club Accomplishments
1986 Garden Club founded
1993 Raised funds and restored the decorative front fence
1998 Members discovered a photograph of the front gardens from a pamphlet published in 1914, The Centenary of the Battle of Plattsburgh that clearly showed the geometric designs of the front gardens.
2001 Engaged Lucinda Brockway of Past Designs, Kennebunkport, ME, a historic landscape research and design firm to develop a Master Garden Plan
2005 As part of the Master Plan, Henry Delord's Alleys were laid out on the grounds. A grape arbor was recreated on Frances Alley from an old photograph. In the kitchen garden on the west side of the house, plants that were used for flavoring, medicines, fragrance, or dyes have been added. Flower varieties used in the gardens represent or interpret gardens of the 19th century from 1810-1913.
2016 The Garden Club celebrated 30 years of caring for the Kent Delord House gardens
2021 The Garden Club celebrated 35 years of caring for the Kent Delord House Museum gardens.
2022 The Grape Arbor was rebuilt and the Fancy Fence was repaired.
We hope you join us… just open the gate and step into history and enjoy the beautiful gardens!
