The Parterre Gardens of Athens

The Parterre Gardens of Athens. . Bishop Cottage Garden , Built circa 1840 by Thomas J. Bishop, this house and garden were located on what is now the North Campus of The University of Georgia. The house had box gardens located on each side. One of the trees in the garden was a descendant of the elm tree under which George Washington stood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when he accepted command of the Continental Army., Stevens Thomas Garden , In 1848 Colonel Stevens Thomas, the son of one of Athens' earliest settlers, purchased land on the corner of Pulaski Street and Hancock Avenue. He hired John Bishop, an English landscape gardener in charge of The University of Georgia's Botanical Garden, to create a unique parterre garden to complement his antebellum mansion. The design resembled two oriental rugs incorporating palm and crescent shapes., The Stevens Thomas property was later bought by the Y.M.C.A. The house was turned to face Hancock Avenue, and the club building was built on the site of the garden., Grant-Hill Garden , Arriving in Athens from Walton County in 1855, Thomas Grant bought seven acres of land along Prince Avenue. Grant built a Greek Revival mansion, and it is thought that the second owner, Ben Hill, later added a parterre garden enclosed by a picket fence. Cherry laurel and crape myrtle were used to screen the home and garden from the street. The garden exists today in the same location in front of what is now The University of Georgia President's House., Captions (left to right) , . Bishop Cottage Garden, ca. 1930s , . Stevens Thomas House and Parterre Garden, 1848-1863 , . Grant-Hill House and Parterre Garden, 1855-1863, Illustrations (left to right) , Paul Neyron Rose . American Holly . Portulaca . Spice Pinks, Want to see more? Visit other public gardens inspired by history: The University of Georgia Founder's Garden, Athens Welcome Center, Taylor-Grady House, T.R.R. Cobb House, and State Botanical Garden of Georgia.