The Martinsville Garden Club

March 21, 2022

martinsvillegardenclub.org

The Martinsville Garden Club was organized in April 1923 and became a member club of the Garden Club of Virginia the following year. Through the years, The Martinsville Garden Club has focused on city and county beautification, conservation, and community landscaping projects. The club has installed plantings and gates at the entrance of Oakwood Cemetery; supported landscaping on the grounds of (former) Memorial Hospital of Martinsville & Henry County, the Henry County Courthouse, the Edwards Adult Day Care Center, the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA, and the Walker Fine Arts Theater at Patrick Henry Community College; and has planted dogwood trees at an elementary school and Constitution oaks at the high school. In 1979, the club began landscaping the grounds of the Blue Ridge Regional Library, a project that continued for over 30 years. In 2009, the club co-sponsored The Forgotten Garden, an exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. That same year, the club assisted with funding for the installation of the garden surrounding The Big Chair in uptown Martinsville. More recently, the club has been working with the Gateway Streetscape Foundation to beautify areas of both Martinsville and Henry County and in creating pollinator gardens along the Paw Path at the Smith River Sports Complex and at Fairy Stone State Park.

The Paw Path Pollinator Garden is an ongoing joint venture with The Garden Study Club. The half-mile, dog-friendly Paw Path runs alongside the river at the Smith River Sports Complex. The Paw Path Pollinator Garden was created along the path to feature native plant pollinators and is home to more than 300 pollinator-sustaining wildflowers, trees, and shrubs, representing 50 native and non-invasive plant species along the half-mile path. The clubs received the 2018 Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award for the path and garden. The clubs continue to work together to maintain the Paw Path Pollinator Garden.  A local hiking, riding, and walking trail is being built and will pass by the exit garden at the Paw Path, giving additional exposure to the garden. Members are preparing educational materials about pollinators to be used in the schools.  https://www.visitmartinsville.com/listing/paw-path-at-monogram-foods-smith-river-sports-complex/

The club also supported Piedmont Arts as that organization reimagined a portion of its grounds to create the Pollinator Path, an accessible community space for the appreciation of art and nature. The path features an ADA-compliant pathway lined by native plants that promote pollination and support local wildlife and raised flower beds for an Adopt-a-Bed program. Art classes and school tours find inspiration amongst the native flora and fauna. With support from Harvest Foundation, Beegins With You Foundation, Prillaman Landscape Dimensions, the YMCA, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Bee City, The Martinsville Garden Club and The Garden Study Club, and other community organizations, the Project Hope Pollinator Trail will be a source of community pride for future generations. https://www.visitmartinsville.com/listing/pollinator-path/

The Martinsville Garden Club, The Garden Club of Danville, and The Garden Study Club worked together to aid Fairy Stone Park in a successful effort to receive one of the GCV Centennial Virginia State Park grants.

The Martinsville Garden Club has participated in the statewide GCV Historic Garden Week events since its beginning in the 1930s, either with home tours or lectures. Net proceeds from Historic Garden Week fund the restoration of historic gardens and landscapes in Virginia. Martinsville and Henry County citizens were elated when, in 2011, GCV embarked on an extensive, four-year restoration of the grounds surrounding the Historic Henry County Courthouse.

Club Activities and Programs

The club has taken several field trips to Richmond for lunch at the Kent-Valentine House, followed by a visit to Fine Arts & Flowers at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. Another favorite field trip was a visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show. Hands-on, flower-arranging and conditioning workshops are always popular.

Speaker topics have included beekeeping, flower and garden photography, aquaculture, various conservation and environmental issues, flowers to note cards, lavender planting and harvesting, orchids, landscaping for birds, and container bulb gardening.

The club learned to achieve excellent attendance at its business meetings by scheduling  them at cocktail hour with wine and cheese offerings, though the club did note that some well-attended morning business meetings are held in church halls and museums. An interesting, year-end awards luncheon was held at Mountain Valley Brewing and featured Dutch treat foods purchased from a visiting food truck.

2015 GCV Board of Governors

The 2015 fall Board of Governors meeting was hosted by The Martinsville Garden Club on October 13-15, 2015, at the New College Institute, co-chaired by Nancy Moore and Sue Rosser. Photos

The Board of Directors met Tuesday afternoon for lunch at the home of Susan and Will Pannill, followed by the meeting at the Hampton Inn. Tuesday arrivals gathered for a lively evening of cocktails and Dutch treat dinner at Hamlet Vineyards. Optional tours on Wednesday morning included visits to Fairy Stone State Park or recent GCV restoration site Historic Henry County Courthouse.

GCV President Jeanette Cadwallender called the Board of Governors meeting to order Wednesday afternoon and introduced Martinsville Garden Club President Becky Farrar. Becky called upon MGC past president Lucy Wilson to “continue our welcome as only Lucy can do!”

Lucy began,

“Hello pretty ladies and you do really look great! I wish you could see what I’m seeing. Not only does The Martinsville Garden Club welcome you, but also the City of Martinsville. This city started out as a little village farming mostly tobacco, but we were successful at that with several tobacco companies. Then the founding fathers realized our many hardwood forests could provide needed lumber for building, so sawmills were started. It wasn’t long before these same men realized we could build furniture right here, so a number of large furniture factories opened up. You might have read the best seller, Factory Man, which took place nearby in Bassett. Then the women wanted to work outside the home so textile mills opened. The first two items made were long johns and bloomers! But then the magic word appeared, “fleece.” If you have ever had a sweatshirt in the past, it probably was made in Martinsville, which became “the sweatshirt capital of the world.” Our former duPont plant even made the nylon for parachutes for World War II. All these things have changed now, but we are rebuilding with new companies. There is one commodity that never has changed here. It’s the intangible factor of hospitality. We’ve had it for generations so it is my hope for you that you feel welcomed and are having a good time here with us. Thank you.”

Jeanette opened by repeating remarks from her visits to member clubs that describe the women who founded the GCV in 1920. “These women were intelligent, well-educated women who cared deeply about the public well-being. They found a voice that was stronger than their individual voice; they found that by working together they could improve their communities. The descendants of these women are here today.”

In closing, Jeanette said, “Tomorrow has been declared Garden Club of Virginia Day in Henry County and the town of Martinsville. Tomorrow’s agenda will commence after our opening speaker, Craig Seaver, Director of Virginia State Parks, and must conclude in time for the presentation at the Historic Henry County Courthouse.”

Following business reports, attendees broke for roundtable discussions, with each attendee selecting two of the following:

• Membership: attracting members and categories of membership, led by Kris Carbone
• Partnering with State Parks: finding ways to get involved in local parks, led by Mary Bruce Glaize
• Technology: what works for club websites and newsletters, led by Nina Mustard

Cocktails were served Wednesday night at the home of Karen and David Jones, followed by the awards banquet at Chatmoss Country Club. The 2015 Common Wealth Award was presented to the Charlottesville and Rivanna garden clubs for their joint project: the gardens at the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center in the amount of $10,000. Second place was awarded to Winchester-Clarke Garden Club in the amount of $4,000 for the rooftop gardens at the Discovery Museum.

The business meeting continued Thursday morning and Anne Cross introduced Craig Seaver, Director of Virginia State Parks. He spoke about the connections between Virginia State Parks and the Garden Club of Virginia and mentioned recent initiatives: President Obama’s Every Kid in Every Park; Capital Campout at the Governor’s residence; and a partnership with AmeriCorps to develop youth programming.

President Jeanette Cadwallender thanked The Martinsville Garden Club for their hospitality and adjourned the meeting. She then invited everyone to attend the presentation of the restoration of the Historic Henry County Courthouse to the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society.

MGC Presidents 1995-2021

1995-1997	Page Beeler
1997-1999	Catherine Harcus
1999-2001	Lynne Beeler
2001-2003	Mary Kate Dillon
2003-2005	Jackie Compton
2005-2007	Nancy Moore
2007-2009	Susan Morris
2009-2011	Judy Garland
2011-2013	Nancy Spilman
2013-2015	Sue Rosser
2015-2017	Becky Farrar
2017-2019	Helen Carter
2019-2021	Kimberly Snyder