Tyler in Smith County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
History of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden
Photographed By Larry D. Moore, June 22, 2019
1. History of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden Marker
Inscription.
History of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden. .
The property that is now home to the Tyler Rose Garden was first purchased by the City of Tyler in 1912 for the construction of a park and fairgrounds. After many years and at the urging of the former American Rose Society President Dr. Horace McFarland, an application to the Works Project Administration (WPA) was made in 1938 to fund the construction of a municipal rose garden. The $181,255 federal grant was thought to be the largest municipal park and rose garden project approved by the WPA in that era. The funds were used to construct a stone picnic pavilion, balcony, stairs, and other garden features. Keith Maxwell, the WPA landscape architect, drew the plan for the park and rose garden. The plan was ultimately revised by Henry Thompson, a local nurseryman, who laid out walkways and planted trees and shrubbery. Thompson would later be killed while serving as a fighter pilot during World War II. The garden would eventually be dedicated in his memory. Following the war, Robert Shelton Jr. became the Superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department and made it his top priority to complete the garden. In 1952 the Tyler Rose Garden was officially opened. The roses in the first garden were donated by local nurseries with the intent of created a living catalogue of roses produced by the Tyler rose industry. Nearly 3,000 rose bushes were used in the first planting.. . This historical marker was erected by The Gertrude Windsor Garden Club. It is in Tyler in Smith County Texas
The property that is now home to the Tyler Rose Garden was first purchased by the City of Tyler in 1912 for the construction of a park and fairgrounds. After many years and at the urging of the former American Rose Society President Dr. Horace McFarland, an application to the Works Project Administration (WPA) was made in 1938 to fund the construction of a municipal rose garden. The $181,255 federal grant was thought to be the largest municipal park and rose garden project approved by the WPA in
that era. The funds were used to construct a stone picnic pavilion, balcony, stairs, and other garden features. Keith Maxwell, the WPA landscape architect, drew the plan for the park and rose garden. The plan was ultimately revised by Henry Thompson, a local nurseryman, who laid out walkways and planted trees and shrubbery. Thompson would later be killed while serving as a fighter pilot during World War II. The garden would eventually be dedicated in his memory. Following the war, Robert Shelton Jr. became the Superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department and made it his top priority to complete the garden. In 1952 the Tyler Rose Garden
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was officially opened. The roses in the first garden were donated by local nurseries with the intent of created a living catalogue of roses produced by the Tyler rose industry. Nearly 3,000 rose bushes were used in the first planting.
Erected by The Gertrude Windsor Garden Club.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 32° 20.753′ N, 95° 19.3′ W. Marker is in Tyler, Texas, in Smith County. Marker can be reached from West Front Street (State Highway 31) east of Rose Park Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tyler TX 75702, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. History of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden Marker Area
Credits. This page was last revised on July 24, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2019, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas. This page has been viewed 133 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2019, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
