Myers Park in Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 11, 2023

1. Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Marker

Inscription. Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (1920-2012) was a beloved philanthropist and civic leader in North Carolina who devoted her life to the arts, education, children and families, health care and civil rights.

Her great-uncle, James B. Duke, owned the Duke Mansion from 1919-1926. It was in the solarium in 1924 that he and his advisors finalized the indenture of trust that established the Duke Endowment, one of the nation's largest private foundations. Mrs. Semans was a trustee of the Duke Endowment for 55 years, and served as its first female chairman from 1982-2001. She also carried on the family legacy through her own foundations and philanthropic work.

Mrs. Semans' love of flowers and gardens grew from her mother, Mary Duke Biddle, and grandmother, Sarah Pearson Duke, both of whom made the initial gifts to establish the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University. Over the course of her life, Mrs. Semans was instrumental in the ongoing support for the expansion and continued development of the Duke Gardens, now regarded as one of the world's finest botanical gardens. The gardens and grounds of the Duke Mansion are named in her honor as a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman, and made possible by a gift from the Puke Endowment.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work

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• Horticulture & Forestry • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 35° 12.12′ N, 80° 49.666′ W. Marker is in Charlotte, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It is in Myers Park. It can be reached from Hermitage Road north of Ardsley Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 Hermitage Rd, Charlotte NC 28207, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: James Buchanan Duke House (within shouting distance of this marker); James "Buck" Duke: A Powerful Force of Growth (approx. 0.6 miles away); Cherry Neighborhood History (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of the First Court Held in Mecklenburg County (approx. 0.6 miles away); Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes (approx. 0.6 miles away); Julius Chambers: Attorney Who Changed America (approx. 0.6 miles away); Elizabeth College (approx. ¾ mile away); Presbyterian Hospital (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlotte.

Also see . . . Mary Semans. Wikipedia entry on the heiress, activist, politician, and philanthropist. (Submitted on December 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 11, 2023

2. Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 303 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.