Maymont Park
| Maymont Park | |
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| Location | Entrances at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, 1700 Hampton Street, , Richmond, Virginia |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 37°32′7″N 77°28′40″W / 37.53528°N 77.47778°W |
| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Created | 1925 |
| Operated by | Maymont Foundation |
| Open | Year-round |
| Website | http://www.maymont.org/ |
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Maymont
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| Coordinates: | 37°32′5″N 77°28′43″W / 37.53472°N 77.47861°W |
| Area: | 100 acres (40.5 ha) |
| Built: | 1890 |
| Architect: | Edgerton S. Rogers |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 71001062[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 16, 1971 |
Maymont is a 100 acre (0.156 m²) Victorian estate located at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, Virginia. It contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum, formal gardens, a carriage collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and petting zoo known as "The Maymont Children's Farm".
In 1893, Major James H. Dooley, a wealthy Richmond lawyer and philanthropist, and his wife, Sallie, completed their elaborate Gilded Age estate on a site high above the James River. According to their wishes, after their deaths Maymont was left to the people of Richmond. Over the next 75 years, additional attractions were added.
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[edit] History
Maymont was named for the Major Dooley's wife, Sallie May.[2] Construction began in 1890,[3] with the mansion completed in 1893.[4]
In 1913, the Dooley's built a "cottage" in Nelson County, Swannanoa, where they would spend their summers.[4]
The Dooley Noted Society is the young professional group that supports Maymont through cultivation of volunteer, social and fund raising activities.
In 2011, Maymont was named one of the top 10 public spaces by the American Planning Association.
[edit] The gardens
The Japanese gardens located at Maymont are well tended and cared for and consist of a koi pond as well as a large waterfall coming down from the terrace. There is an extensive rose garden ending in a large waterfall located on a terrace below the manor. The roses are partially shaded by a wisteria covered pergola. Bamboo forests are a great spectacle in the Gardens
The arboretum dates from the early 20th century, and contains more than 200 species of trees and woody plants. It includes a number of "exotic champions" including a Cedrus atlantica, Cryptomeria japonica, Parrotia persica, and Tilia europea.
Maymont's gardens are popular for outdoor weddings focused around the Italian garden, the Japanese gardens, the waterfalls, or other numerous gazebos located throughout the grounds.
[edit] Fauna
In addition to the farm animals that it keeps in the Children's Farm, Maymont is the permanent home of several animals that are native to the Commonwealth. Many of these have been severely injured and are otherwise unable to fend for themselves in the wild, while a few were given to the park after becoming nuisances in neighboring localities. These animals include several birds of prey including the bald eagle, bobcats, black bears and foxes. Visitors are also able to see white-tailed deer, elk, peacocks and American bison that have been adopted by the park and are featured in habitats around the park.
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A view from Maymont.
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Maymont in the winter.
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Terrace Waterfall in May.
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Wisteria covered pergola
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Wilson, Richard Guy (2002). Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont. Oxford University Press. pp. 267–268. ISBN 0-19-515206-9.
- ^ "127-0182 Maymont 1971 Final". National Register Nomination. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Richmond/127-0182_Maymont_1971_Final_Nomination.pdf. Retrieved Mar 01, 2011.
- ^ a b Brownell, Charles E (1922). The Making of Virginia Architecture. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. pp. 342–343. ISBN 0-917046-34-X.
[edit] External links
- The Maymont Foundation
- Richmond, Virginia, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Maymont on RichmondWiki.org
- Maymont National Register Nomination on the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Site
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- Arboreta in Virginia
- Gardens in Virginia
- Virginia Municipal and County Parks
- Museums in Richmond, Virginia
- Historic house museums in Virginia
- Nature centers in Virginia
- Transportation museums in Virginia
- Carriages museums in the United States
- Victorian architecture in Virginia
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- Houses in Richmond, Virginia
- Parks in Richmond, Virginia
- Zoos in Virginia
