I am looking for information on the medicinal and vegetable gardens of our region in the 18th and early 19th century,

of both the Lenape people and the colonists. The land which is now Historic Fair Hill was given to George Fox by William Penn in 1691. He left this plot to Quakers for a stable, meeting house, burial ground, a place to grow medicinal herbs and a green space for children to play. Our mission at Historic Fair Hill is to carry on Penn's vision of this space, thus we would like to plant a historic garden the likes of which Penn, and other early colonizers would have kept; while also deeply honoring and exploring the plants of the Lenape people, on whose trade route the burial ground is located.
In short, our main focus is on books that include information regarding Lenape plants and gardening practices and the gardens of colonizers from the 18th and early 19th century. Any suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Answer

Here are some suggested titles that may be helpful:

 

Greene, Wesley.   Vegetable gardening the Colonial Williamsburg way :   18th-century methods for today's organic gardeners /   Emmaus, Pa. : Rodale, 2011.

Stacks  / SB320.7.V8 G74 2011. Also available as an eBook

 

Griffith, Lawrence D.   Flowers and herbs of early America /   New Haven, Conn. ;   London : Yale University Press, c2008.

Stacks  / SB404.6 .U5 G75 2008

 

Hatch, Peter J.,1949-   "A rich spot of earth" :   Thomas Jefferson's revolutionary garden at Monticello /   New Haven : Yale University Press, 2012.

Stacks  / SB320.7.V8 H38 2012. Also available as an eBook

 

Thomforde, Charles.   William Penn's estate at Pennsbury and the plants of its kitchen garden / 1986.

Stacks  / SB479 .P415 T465 2 vols.

 

I did find plants for Delaware Indians listed in

Moerman, Daniel E.   Native American ethnobotany /   Portland, Or. : Timber Press, c1998.

Stacks  / SB107 .M694

 

In addition, I found a few relevant pages on Lenape gardening plants in this book:

Weaver, William Woys,1947-   Heirloom vegetable gardening :   a master gardener's guide to planting, growing, seed saving, and cultural history /   New York : Henry Holt and Company, 1997.

Stacks  / SB321 .W363

 

I scanned those pages for you and they are attached.

If you are a PHS member, you can borrow these books. The Wesley Greene book and the one by Peter Hatch are also available to our members in  eBook format, which means members can access them from home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Last Updated Feb 04, 2021
  • Views 24
  • Answered By Janet Evans

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