The Huntington Garden Club

March 22, 2022

The Huntington Garden Club, named for the Huntington Heights neighborhood in Newport News in which its members then lived, was founded in 1935. The club became a member of the Garden Club of Virginia in 1956, mentored by the Hampton Roads Garden Club. The club’s membership today consists of three classes — active (limited to 50 members), associate (limited to 30 members) and emeritus — and membership has expanded to include those living on the lower Virginia Peninsula.

Club programs and workshops have included presentations by well-known flower arrangers and gardeners. A favorite for 2017-2019 was “Lunch and Learn,” when guest speakers conducted optional workshops following the business meetings, with lunch included. Talented HGC members Pam Barber, Rebecca Fass, Becky Fitchett, Hazel Mason, Susan McCreary, Carla Rice, BoBo Smith, Debbie Spencer and Katie Spencer have shared their knowledge with educational programs. GCV members Dottie Ballard, Allison Clock, Karan Mulkey, Linda Pinkham, Lee Snyder, Peyton Wells, Janice Whitehead and Susan Wight have conducted very popular hands-on workshops.

Community

In partnership with the Hampton Roads Garden Club, the clubs engaged a landscape architect in 2002 to create a master landscape plan for the historic cemetery of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hampton. Each club donated funding for the project. The church, established in 1610, is the oldest Anglican church in North America. The resulting crepe myrtle allee was the centerpiece of the cemetery.

With its close, long-standing relationship with the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, the club was awarded the Garden Club of Virginia’s 2005 Common Wealth Award for the Virginia Garden, an outdoor living exhibit of Virginia’s botanical history from 1607 to the present. The garden was created in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. With expansion of the museum, the club contributed funds for improvements to the “Backyard Habitat” with new plantings, improved signage, outdoor benches and fencing. For the young visitors to the VLM, the club funded the popular 10-foot “Crawl Through A Log.”

In 2010, the club established the Holt Native Plant Conservatory at the museum to honor the memory of HGC member and community leader, Mary Sherwood Holt.

When GCV member clubs were invited to select a memento for the GCV’s centennial time capsule. HGC’s active and associate members gathered in the outdoor courtyard of the museum for their group photo to be submitted for the time capsule.

In 2008, the club contributed funds to assist the Riverside Health System Foundation with the founding of the Abernathy Gardens at Causey’s Mill Park in Newport News. The project was a labor of love by club member, Susan Abernathy McCreary, and was dedicated in memory of her parents, community leaders Estelle Abernathy, a charter member of the Huntington Garden Club, and her husband, George. The gift funded the construction of one of the garden’s centerpieces, a meditative labyrinth designed to inspire visitors and patients from the adjacent Riverside Regional Medical Center.

The Hampton Roads and Huntington Garden Clubs partnered with the City of Newport News in 2000 to apply for restoration work to be done by the Garden Club of Virginia at Lee Hall Mansion, an Italianate plantation house and home to Richard Decatur Lee, his wife and children. The Lee family lived in the house for three years until the War Between the States erupted. Heavily in debt after the war, Lee sold the property in 1870, and the City of Newport News purchased Lee Hall in 1996. The restoration proposal was accepted by the Garden Club of Virginia, and shade trees and wooden fencing became a welcome addition to the grounds. The mansion is open to the public.

From 2017-2019 the club’s dedication to the community was evident with generous funding support for the Garden Club of Virginia, Nature Camp Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hampton Clean City Commission, Newport News Green Foundation, York Learning Garden & Arboretum, gardens at the Newport News Public Library, Hampton History Museum, Master Gardeners (Newport News, York-Poquoson and Hampton), Peninsula Council of Garden Clubs and Scenic Virginia.

Plans for the Garden Club of Virginia’s centennial celebration in 2020 were well underway by 2014. A centennial gift of $500,000 was made by the GCV to Virginia State Parks to enhance the 39 parks throughout the state. This gift was used to protect native plants and trees, to provide educational programming, and to offer an opportunity for visitors to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. The Hampton Roads, Huntington and Williamsburg garden clubs joined forces to apply for grants for York River State Park, located in James City County on the south bank of the York River. Two grants were awarded to the park for plantings and stonework, and club meetings and work sessions have been held at the park since the work was completed.

The Hampton Roads and Huntington Garden Clubs celebrated the GCV centennial by hosting a cocktail buffet, “Centennial Celebration Under the Lights” at the Mariner’s Museum and Park in Newport News in October 2019. Over 155 club members and guests enjoyed a lovely outdoor evening at the museum.

In another partnership with the Hampton Roads Garden Club, the City of Newport News was designated as a “Bee City” in 2021, spearheaded by Rebecca Fass (Huntington) and Dale Banning (Hampton Roads), with assistance from the Lynchburg Garden Club’s Heidi James. The city increased the planting of native pollinating plants and decreased the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Fundraising

Proceeds from its successful sale of holiday wreaths and roping each fall allow the club to continue its community beautification projects. Each active member sells a minimum of six wreaths annually.

Another fundraising event has been “The Blooming Night of Fun,” when each club member contributes an auction item and a food item. Spouses and guests are invited for the evening of fun and fellowship.

Garden Club of Virginia

HGC members enthusiastically participate in state level events — Horticulture Field Day, Conservation Forum, Legislative Day, flower shows, symposia and many GCV workshops held at the Kent-Valentine House.

Members have made vital contributions through their dedicated service as GCV officers, board members, committee chairmen and committee members. Ann Gordon Evans has dedicated much of her time in GCV leadership positions: Common Wealth Award Committee member 1998-2000; Common Wealth Award Committee Chairman 2000-2002, Board of Directors, Director-at-Large 2002-2004, Journal Editorial Board 2004-2007, Recording Secretary 2006-2008, Second Vice President 2008-2010, First Vice President 2010-2012, President 2012-2014 and Parliamentarian 2016-2018. Ann Gordon received the Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 2023.

Additional members have served GCV in a variety of positions: Pam Barber, Horticulture Committee 2012-2014; Becky Fitchett, Development Committee 2023-2026; Lynn Hutchens, Common Wealth Award Committee 2012-2014 and 2016-2018, Journal Editorial Board, 2014-2020; Katie Mann, Conservation and Beautification Committee 2018-2021; Carla Rice, Artistic Design Committee 2022-2024; Tricia Russell, Historic Garden Week Committee 2017-2019; and Katie Spencer, Board of Directors, Director-at-Large, District III 2022-2024.

The GCV Horticulture Award of Merit was presented to Mary Sherwood Holt in 2004. At the GCV’s 2002 Lily Show, Janie Hargette received the tri-color ribbon for the best arrangement in the show. Laura Brown was elected to serve as president 2023-2025 of the Peninsula Council of Garden Clubs, an umbrella organization for peninsula clubs, established in 1954. The club’s horticulture chairmen prepare the horticulture displays for all GCV Board of Governors meetings.

2005 Annual Meeting

The club hosted the GCV 2005 Annual Meeting, chaired by Rose Garrett and Katie Spencer. Members were assessed $30 annually from 1999-2005 to cover expenses for the meeting.

2016-2017 Daffodil Shows

 The club hosted GCV Daffodil Shows at the Hampton Convention Center in 2016 and 2017, co-chaired by Rebecca Fass and BoBo Smith, Expenses were $20,000 in 2016 and $17,000 in 2017.

2016 Daffodil Show Photos

2017 Daffodil Show Photos

Historic Garden Week

Huntington and Hampton Roads garden clubs worked together each year to host a tour during Historic Garden Week in Virginia. The clubs alternate leadership years, chairing committees. The 2016 tour was held at Fort Monroe, the former Army Post at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton and was featured on the cover of the 2016 HGW Guidebook. Approximately 2000 visitors enjoyed visiting the tour with all proceeds sent to the Garden Club of Virginia. Over the years, the tours have expanded to include the “Marketplace” where vendors sell their specialty items to visitors and “Flowers After Hours,” a wine and cheese reception at the tour’s close.

COVID-19 Pandemic

By March 2020, the nation was “shut down” by COVID-19. The GCV’s 2020 Historic Garden Week was canceled, as were all activities of the GCV‘s 2020 centennial that were to be held in May 2020. All activities of the Huntington Garden Club were canceled.

The club presidents were forced to create ways to continue communication with members. From March 2020 until April 2021, all monthly club meetings were held by Zoom or in outdoor settings. One of the positive outgrowths of COVID-19 for the Huntington Garden Club was the creation of a new monthly newsletter, “The Garden Gab,” with editor Katie Spencer.

The club has continued a commitment to its purpose, “the advancement of gardening, civic beautification and conservation and the preservation and restoration of historic gardens.”

HGC Presidents 1996-2020

1996-1998	Jeanette Payne
1998-2000	Ann Gordon Evans
2000-2002	Jamie Old
2002-2004	Joan Dawson
2004-2006	Deborah Spencer
2006-2008	Carol Hogg
2008-2010	BoBo Smith
2010-2012	Rebecca Fass
2012-2014	Pam Barber
2014-2016	Katie Mann
2016-2018	Tricia Russell
2018-2020	Katie Spencer