Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Victorian By Design

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 5, 2019

1. Victorian By Design Marker

Inscription. Woodrow Wilson's mother, Janet "Jessie" Wilson, is said to have planned their new home's landscape. Garden design during the 1870s sought to extend a home's interior beyond its windows by arranging plantings in a way that was visually appealing to people indoors. The Woodrow Wilson Family Home garden was designed in this traditional Victorian style.

Typical Victorian yards were divided into private, working areas in the rear and public gardens in the front. Formal spaces featured large annual and perennial flower beds of bold colors, as well as ornamental trees and shrubs.

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Founded in 1926, Columbia Garden Club promotes the love of gardening among amateurs, supports civic beautification in both public and private places, and protects our native trees, flowers and birds through conservation efforts. The Woodrow Wilson Family Home Gardens illustrates the club's exemplary commitment to beautification in Columbia.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #28 Woodrow Wilson series list.

Location. 34° 0.489′ N, 81° 1.615′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown

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- Downtown. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Hampton Street and Henderson Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located on the Woodrow Wilson Family Home grounds, beside the sidewalk, overlooking the gardens on the east side of the house. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1705 Hampton Street, Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Woodrow Wilson Family Home & Gardens (a few steps from this marker); Wilson Boyhood House (a few steps from this marker); Wilson House (a few steps from this marker); Pieces of the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Divided By Design (within shouting distance of this marker); Tommy Wilson's Neighborhood (within shouting distance of this marker); A Fortunate Survivor (within shouting distance of this marker); "Chesnut Cottage" (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Woodrow Wilson Family Home

Victorian By Design Marker • <i>wide view</i><br>(<i>looking east across Wilson home grounds</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 5, 2019

2. Victorian By Design Marker • wide view
(looking east across Wilson home grounds)

Marker detail: Carnations image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: Carnations

Bedding and border plants in gardens of this era included geraniums, verbenas, petunias, garden pinks, salvias, zinnias, dahlias, carnations (pictured), cannas and caladiums.

Image reproduced from Moreton, Charles Oscar. Old carnations and pinks. London: G. Rainbird; Collins, 1955.

Marker detail: Landscape Architecture image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: Landscape Architecture

Jessie Wilson may have been inspired by Andrew Jackson Downing, one of the founders of American landscape architecture. Downing's designs used barriers, including hedges and trellises, to separate work and public spaces.

Image reproduced from Downing, Andrew Jackson.Cottage Residences: Or, A Series of Designs for Rural Cottages and Cottage Villas, and Their Gardens and Grounds, Adapted to North America. New York: Wiley & Halsted, 1856.

Woodrow Wilson Family Home - Front Yard Garden (<i>view southwest from near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 5, 2019

5. Woodrow Wilson Family Home - Front Yard Garden (view southwest from near marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 188 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 7, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 8, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.