Worcester County Horticultural Society
The Worcester County Horticultural Society is a non-profit American horticultural society based out of Boylston, Massachusetts, whose stated mission as of 2014 is to "inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world,"[3] building upon its founding mission to "advanc[e] the science and encourag[e] and improv[e] the practice of [h]orticulture".[1] Formally established in 1842, it describes itself as the third-oldest horticultural society in the United States after the Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts societies.[4] Today the society's work predominantly focuses in organizing and operating Tower Hill Botanic Garden, as well as supporting the Cary Award, an award program for excellence in New England cultivation practices.
 | |
| Abbreviation | WCHS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 19 September 1840, de facto 3 March 1842,[1] official |
| Founded at | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Headquarters | Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr, Boylston, MA 01505 |
President | James Karadimos[2] |
History
The Society was informally founded on September 19, 1840 when several local doctors and businessmen met in Worcester "for the purposes of mutual improvement in the theoretical and practical branches of Horticulture," and in the subsequent weeks organized an exhibition of fine specimens of orchard and garden plants from cultivators in Central Massachusetts.[5] The organization's founders shaped it in homage to the Royal Horticultural Society in London, expressing hope in their earliest reports that their "little Society, which has thus far so bravely followed in the footsteps of the great Association of London, may, like our other institutions, continue to flourish."[5] The Society was formally established by an act of the Massachusetts General Court on March 3, 1842.[5] The group continued to host exhibitions annually and by 1850 had a large enough membership and funds to purchase a plot of land and construct its first formal headquarters, "Horticultural Hall" on Front Street in Worcester.[6] Continuing to expand throughout the 19th century and early 20th century, the Society built another larger facility with library and auditorium space in 1928; this building is now home to the Worcester Historical Museum.[7][8]
In 1983 the board of trustees made a motion to found a botanical garden in Worcester County and by the end of 1985 this was filled with the purchase of the Tower Hill Farm which serves as the Society's main project and headquarters today.[9][10] Though the Society moved from its Worcester headquarters in 1986, it remains active in the community, having spearheaded efforts in the Worcester Tree Initiative by providing more than 30,000 trees to replace those lost in efforts to eradicate the Asian long-horned beetle.[11][12]
Governance
Operations of the Worcester County Horticultural Society are overseen by a Board of Trustees. Trustees meet at regular intervals throughout the year, as well as on committees that support the staff of Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Daily operations of the garden are led by a CEO, directors, and staff managers.
| Name | Dates of Term |
|---|---|
| John Green | 1840-1844 |
| Isaac Davis (lawyer) | 1844-1848 |
| John Milton Earle | 1848-1851 |
| Stephen Salisbury | 1851-1857 |
| Daniel Waldo Lincoln | 1857-1860 |
| Alexander Bullock | 1860-1863 |
| George Jaques | 1863-1864 |
| Francis H. Dewey | 1867-1871 |
| J. Henry Hill | 1864-1867 |
| George W. Richardson | 1871-1872 |
| George E. Francis | 1872-1874 |
| Obadiah Hadwen | 1875-1876 |
| William T. Merrifield | 1876-1879 |
| Stephen Salisbury III | 1879-1881 |
| Francis H. Dewey | 1881-1888 |
| Henry L. Parker | 1888-1895 |
| Obadiah Hadwen | 1895-1908 |
| George Calvin Rice | 1908-1910 |
| Edward W. Breed | 1910-1916 |
| Arthur E. Hartshorn | 1916-1918 |
| Charles Greenwood | 1918-1920 |
| Leonard C. Midgely | 1920-1922 |
| David L. Fiske | 1922-1923 |
| Myron F. Converse | 1923-1948 |
| Allen W. Hixon | 1948-1960 |
| Dr. Robert S. Illingworth | 1960-1963 |
| Herbert E. Berg | 1963-1964 |
| Linwood E. Erskine | 1964-1968 |
| Frederick D. Brown | 1968-1972 |
| Palmer W. Bigelow, Jr. | 1972-1975 |
| Paul E. Rogers | 1975-1979 |
| H. Waite Hurlburt | 1979-1984 |
| Cushing C. Bozenhard | 1/1984-4/1984 |
| Philip C. Beals | 1984-1998 |
| Hope H. Spear | 1988-1992 |
| Richard W. Dearborn | 1992-1995 |
| Mary "Sid" V.C. Callahan | 1995-1999 |
| Dale R. Harger | 1999-2001 |
| Jeremy F. O'Connell | 2002-2007 |
| Betsy C. DeMallie | 2007-2009 |
| Christopher S. Reece | 2009-2015 |
| James Karadimos | 2016–present |
References
- Jaques, George (1847). "Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society". Boston: Eastburn's Press: 16–17. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Kane, Michael D. (25 March 2016). "New leadership poised to take over Worcester County Horticultural Society's Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston". MassLive. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- "History and Mission". Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Worcester County Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- Sturtevant, Robert (1965). "Bulletin of the American Iris Society". Nashville: The Williams Printing Company. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
Worcester is a city of 200,000 with the third oldest horticultural society in the nation, after Philadelphia, 1827, and Boston, 1829.
Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Jaques, 14.
- Lincoln, Edward Winslow (1891). "Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society". Worcester, MA: Charles Hamilton, Printer: 13. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Converse, Myron (1928). "Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society". Worcester, MA: 5. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "Museum History". Worcester Historical Museum. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- "Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society". Worcester, MA. 1984: 16. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society". Worcester, MA. 1986: 4. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "Worcester Tree Initiative". Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Worcester County Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- "WTI Receives Audubon A". Worcester Tree Initiative. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Worcester County Horticultural Society (2006). Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Tower Hill Botanic Garden Library. Worcester County Horticultural Society. pp. 69.
External links
- Official website — Tower Hill Botanic Garden
- The Cary Award — presented collaboratively with Massachusetts Horticultural Society, New England Nursery Association, & Massachusetts Landscape and Nursery Association.
- Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society — complete collection of 1847—2006 annual reports.