Martha Turnbull
I live in St. Francisville, La and this post will be the first of several that I write about Martha Turnbull, the Mistress of Rosedown Plantation here in St. Francisville.
I am working on my Civic Heritage Badges.
Beginner Level:
My husband and I very often bring our children to Rosedown Plantation. It is by far our family’s
favorite. The history is so rich, the story of the family is so inspiring.
The gardens are so wonderful.
But it is Martha that draws me back each time.
Rosedown was built for Martha by her husband Daniel and it is there that
they lived and raised their family. Rosedown is the place that Martha brought
may plant specimens from all over the world that she discovered
during her travels with Daniel. She introduced Azaleas to the Felicianas.
She designed , planted and maintained extensive gardens.
These included the kitchen garden, the orchard, the plantation garden, and
the pleasure garden.
One of the many things that impressed me about Martha Turnbull was
her wonderful record keeping. It was from those records that she started in 1836 and continued
on for some 60 years that detailed accountings of the her gardens and everyday life at
Rosedown can be gathered and appriciated.
I think she was a remarkable women. She had a vision. It is very clear in her writings that she
was very hands on. She wrote clearly about being in the gardens helping with the plantings, spending long
hours on her hands and knees with her workers and helpers–(this is how she referred to her slave help).
She asked nothing from them that she was not willing to do herself.
I always think about what life was like for Martha. She was well traveled and had many
advantages that most people even today would love to have. I adore gardening. I could plant
bulbs and tend plants all day. I know my husband cringes when I go near a nursery because I can not resist
buying more plants. But….it does take large resources to operate on a Martha Turnbull level.
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| Martha Turnbull |
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| Martha’s Gardens |
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| Rosedown Plantation |
My next post will be about working as a host during “Pilgrimage”
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