The Mary Garden

The Mary Garden. . , The Mary Garden opened to the public in 1937, the idea of Frances Crane Lillie. Mrs. Lillie was a deeply religious person and was also involved within the world of science. Embracing her religion, Mrs. Lillie dedicated a 183 foot by 25 foot parcel to the Virgin Mary, When it was completed, it was the first of its kind in the United States. The land had been given to St. Joseph Parish in 1843 and 1918 by the Fay family in appreciation of their Catholic employees. , Mrs. Lillie was the lead planner of the Mary Garden. She did extensive research on plants associated with the Virgin War, Upward of 500 different types of flowers honor; roses being the most important of them all. One of Mary's titles was Mystical Rose. , In 1932, work on the garden began, It took five years in complete. Dorothy K. Harrison was the landscape architect. She selected many blue flowers and white roses due to [obscured] at the time, She also designed the central feature which is a cross with a statue titled "The Virgin in the Woods". The statue itself was sculpted out of concrete by V.M.S. Hannell. , The Bell Tower is another prominent feature of the garden. It was constructed from West Falmouth pink granite in 1929. The tower itself has an interior room resembling a monastic cell with a bookcase, writing desk, and a chair. The bells of the tower are named after two famous scientists. The larger bell is named for polymath Gregor Mandel, famous father of modern genetics. On his bell is inscribed, “I will teach you of life and of life eternal." The smaller bell is named for Louis Pasteur, the father of Bacteriology. His bell has a reverent saying, "Thanks be to God." Both bells were casted in London by the same company that casted Big Ben. The bronze bells have chimed every day since their dedication. , There are several unique features in the Mary Garden. A six panel bronze door depicting scenes from the life of St. Joseph, created in 1930 by artist Alfeo Faggi, stands at the entrance of the bell tower: On Eel Pond side are a granite sea wall and a hedge made of shrubs. When the Hurricane of 1936 destroyed the barwood shrubs, they were replaced by yew. An area on the west side was added for sitting and reflecting, known as The Joseph Garden. The garden is maintained by church members and nearby community members. , Over time, the quality of the Mary Garden fell, due to the lack of care during the hardships of World War II and many hurricanes over the years. In 1962, there was a call for a restoration of the Mary Garden for the 50th year celebration of St. Joseph Chapel. , In 1982, Jane A. McLaughlin wrote a detailed article called “The Angelus Bell Tower and Mary Garden in Woods Hole” for that year's issue of Spritsail. In 2020, Cynthia Rosa of C. Rosa Design was chosen as project leader for another restoration of the Garden. She has won awards including her 2002 submission to the World Trade Center Public Garden Memorial. As time continues, we wait to see The Mary Garden regain its wonderful lushness.