J. Horace McFarland

J. Horace McFarland (1859–1948) from McAlisterville, Pennsylvania was a leading proponent of the "City Beautiful Movement" in the United States.

J. Horace McFarland
Born(1859-09-29)September 29, 1859
McAlisterville, Pennsylvania
DiedOctober 1, 1948(1948-10-01) (aged 89)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Life

McFarland was the son of Union Civil War colonel George F. McFarland. He lived and worked most of his adult life in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, residing at an estate he named Breeze Hill in the Bellevue Park area of the city. At the estate, McFarland established gardens that featured numerous trees, vegetables, and, most prominently, roses. Photos of his famous gardens reside in the Smithsonian institution. McFarland served as president of the American Civic Association (ACA) from 1904 to 1924 and the American Rose Society. McFarland and the ACA were a major force promoting civic improvement, environmental conservation, and beautification in the United States.[1] McFarland helped organize the defense of Niagara Falls from development efforts by power companies, worked to protect Yosemite National Park with the famous environmental preservationist John Muir, who has been hailed as the father of the National Park Service.[2]

He is remembered for a statement at the first Conference of Governors held at the White House, Washington D.C., in 1908:

It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism.[3]

His papers are held at the Pennsylvania State Archives.[4]

References
  1. Chambliss, Julian C. "Perfecting Space: J. Horace McFarland and the American Civic Association." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 77, no. 4 (2010): 486-497.
  2. J. Horace McFarland, Cornelius Amory Pugsley Gold Medal Award, 1937 Archived 2013-10-10 at the Wayback Machine American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration, (Accessed January 10, 2012)
  3. Address by J. Horace McFarland, Proceedings of a conference of Governors in the White House, Washington, D.C., May 13-15, 1908. (Accessed January 8, 2012)
  4. "Manuscript Group 85 J. HORACE McFARLAND PAPERS". Pannsylvania State Archives. Retrieved 16 April 2015.


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