Kenilworth Park in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Beauty and Business
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
"Beauty cannot be purchased, it must be created."
Helen Shaw Fowler
Welcome to these aquatic gardenstranscend the busy streets and embrace the unique beauty, peace and natural rhythm to be found here.
The pond area today looks much as it did during the early 20th century when it was operating as one of the largest aquatic plant business in the nation.
Shaw Gardens was started in the 1880s by Civil War veteran Walter B. Shaw. The water gardens blended plant sales with aesthetic beauty. After 1912, Shaw's daughter Helen led the company. Together, family members and hired laborers dug ponds, planted, nurtured, and harvested aquatic plants.
Along with being available for purchase by local residents, plants shipments were sent every week to New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago.
[Sidebar:]
A Floral Experience in Washington, D.C.
Thousands of blooming flowers drew hundreds of Washingtonians to these aquatic gardens on summer weekends during the early 1900s.
Visitors came from all walks of life and included government officials, plant lovers and those who just wanted to picnic for an afternoon.
President Woodrow Wilson and his wife, as well as First Ladies Florence Harding and Grace Coolidge frequented the gardens and became friends with the Shaw family.
[Caption:]
In 1938, as Washington Post reporter wrote:
"The ponds are separated by dikes with grassy paths, shaded by large trees making a picture of satisfying beauty.
Acres of blooms reach away in all directions, the surface of the water almost entirely with foliage and blossoms of white, pink, rose, crimson and blue. . ."
Erected by National
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #28 Woodrow Wilson series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 38° 54.798′ N, 76° 56.585′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Kenilworth Park. It is on River Trail Northeast just west of Anacostia Avenue Northeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1550 Anacostia Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20019, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Preserve and Protect (about 400 feet
Other markers no longer nearby. Aquatic Greenhouse #3 (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); Aquatic Greenhouse #1 (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 311 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on February 10, 2020, by Bruce Guthrie of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 21, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
