History
A public showcase garden had been conceived since at least the 1940s. Work towards the realization of the concept began in earnest around 1990, with land dedicated in 1995. A partnership between the Oregon Association of Nurserymen and the city of Silverton created the garden, with other support coming from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, The American Conifer Society, and the Oregon timber industry. In April 1996, a master plan was created for the garden which includes ultimately developing all 240 acres (0.97 km2) of the site. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred June 27, 1997 and featured high-ranking Oregon politicians. The garden opened to the public during a dedication on April 17, 1999. Attendance at the garden totaled 250,000 visitors the first year. Subsequent ceremonies dedicated additional features such as Gordon House on March 2, 2002, and the Rediscovery Forest and Natural Resources Center on June 7, 2002.
In 2002, the water garden won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for environmental friendliness.
Read more about this topic: Oregon Garden
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“The thing that struck me forcefully was the feeling of great age about the place. Standing on that old parade ground, which is now a cricket field, I could feel the dead generations crowding me. Here was the oldest settlement of freedmen in the Western world, no doubt. Men who had thrown off the bands of slavery by their own courage and ingenuity. The courage and daring of the Maroons strike like a purple beam across the history of Jamaica.”
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