Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden
Encyclopedia
The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden is a self-governing 100-acre (0.4 km²) woodland and prairie garden owned by the city of Springfield, Illinois
and managed by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation. The gardens are made up of two major units, the 63 acres (25.5 ha) Jensen section bordering Lake Springfield
, and the newer 29 acres (11.7 ha) Ostermeier Prairie Center section. There are also 19 acres (7.7 ha) of additional buffer properties. As of April 2006, the Garden is maintained by a full-time staff of 4 men and women, supplemented by more than 150 volunteers and docent
s.
. The city agreed and leased the Jensen section to Lincoln Memorial Garden in perpetuity. At the time of the lease, the future Garden site was cultivated farmland that contained approximately 12 trees.
As designer of the new garden, LMG selected Jens Jensen
. A follower of the Prairie Style and its ideal of "organic architecture," Jensen designed the garden to reflect an idealized vision of the Midwestern woods and prairies. In his 1935 design, Jensen placed eight council rings, his design icon, throughout the Garden. These fire circles, built of Midwestern splitstone, are designed for groups of 12–50 people to sit together around an open fire. Most of the fire circles are all situated to give participants a view of Lake Springfield. By sitting in a fire circle, visitors have the opportunity to balance the four elements
within themselves.
In 1936, the task of planting the Garden began. The Jensen plan called for 28 species of canopy trees, 14 species of intermediate-sized trees, 23 varieties of shrubs, and 11 varieties of wildflower
s. All of these species are native to North America
; Jensen was one of the first U.S. landscape gardeners to eschew the use of exotic plants. Construction of the Garden was helped by donations from the family of drugstore CEO Charles Walgreen. The Garden was dedicated in 1939.
In 1965, the LMG constructed a Nature Center within the Jensen Unit. In 1992, the Jensen Unit was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
as an example of Jensen's mature landscape design. In 1995, the 29 acre (0.11735894 km²) Ostermeier Prairie Center was added to the Garden. The Ostermeier Unit contains approximately 20 acre (0.0809372 km²) of Illinois tallgrass prairie
under restoration.
(the Illinois state tree), the sugar maple
, the dogwood
, and the redbud. Plantings within the Ostermeier Prairie Center center on prairie grasses such as big bluestem
, with some fire-resistant tree specimens such as bur oak
.
In early spring, LMG operates one of the southernmost maple syrup
festivals in Illinois. The LMG maples yield only about 10–15 gallons of dark syrup in a good year.
In October, an Indian Summer
Festival celebrates the turning of the leaves.
The garden maintains a nature center and gift store.
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and managed by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation. The gardens are made up of two major units, the 63 acres (25.5 ha) Jensen section bordering Lake Springfield
Lake Springfield
Lake Springfield is a 4,260 acre reservoir located in the city of Springfield, Illinois, southeast of downtown. It is 560 feet above sea level...
, and the newer 29 acres (11.7 ha) Ostermeier Prairie Center section. There are also 19 acres (7.7 ha) of additional buffer properties. As of April 2006, the Garden is maintained by a full-time staff of 4 men and women, supplemented by more than 150 volunteers and docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
s.
History
The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden (LMG) is the inspiration of Springfield leader Harriet Knudson. When Knudson learned that the city of Springfield was acquiring land for the basin of a new reservoir, intended to serve as a source of city drinking water, she asked the city to set aside approximately 0.6 miles (1 km) of future shoreline as a garden to memorialize Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. The city agreed and leased the Jensen section to Lincoln Memorial Garden in perpetuity. At the time of the lease, the future Garden site was cultivated farmland that contained approximately 12 trees.
As designer of the new garden, LMG selected Jens Jensen
Jens Jensen (landscape architect)
Jens Jensen was a Danish-American landscape architect.-Early life:Jens Jensen was born near Dybbøl in Slesvig, Denmark, in 1860, to a wealthy farming family. For the first nineteen years of his life he lived on his family's farm, which cultivated his love for the natural environment...
. A follower of the Prairie Style and its ideal of "organic architecture," Jensen designed the garden to reflect an idealized vision of the Midwestern woods and prairies. In his 1935 design, Jensen placed eight council rings, his design icon, throughout the Garden. These fire circles, built of Midwestern splitstone, are designed for groups of 12–50 people to sit together around an open fire. Most of the fire circles are all situated to give participants a view of Lake Springfield. By sitting in a fire circle, visitors have the opportunity to balance the four elements
Four elements
Four elements may refer to:* Classical elements, such as air, fire, earth and water* 4 Elements, an album by Chronic Future* Group 4 element, one of the chemical elements in Group 4 of the periodic table...
within themselves.
In 1936, the task of planting the Garden began. The Jensen plan called for 28 species of canopy trees, 14 species of intermediate-sized trees, 23 varieties of shrubs, and 11 varieties of wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s. All of these species are native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
; Jensen was one of the first U.S. landscape gardeners to eschew the use of exotic plants. Construction of the Garden was helped by donations from the family of drugstore CEO Charles Walgreen. The Garden was dedicated in 1939.
In 1965, the LMG constructed a Nature Center within the Jensen Unit. In 1992, the Jensen Unit was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as an example of Jensen's mature landscape design. In 1995, the 29 acre (0.11735894 km²) Ostermeier Prairie Center was added to the Garden. The Ostermeier Unit contains approximately 20 acre (0.0809372 km²) of Illinois tallgrass prairie
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
under restoration.
Recreation and activities
The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden maintains approximately five miles (8 km) of footpaths. Plantings within the Jensen Unit include the white oakWhite oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
(the Illinois state tree), the sugar maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, the dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
, and the redbud. Plantings within the Ostermeier Prairie Center center on prairie grasses such as big bluestem
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii, known also as Big bluestem, Turkey foot, Prairie tallgrass, or simply Tallgrass, is a tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and Prairie regions of central North America- Description :...
, with some fire-resistant tree specimens such as bur oak
Bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa, the Bur Oak, sometimes spelled Burr Oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus, native to North America in the eastern and midwestern United States and south-central Canada...
.
In early spring, LMG operates one of the southernmost maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
festivals in Illinois. The LMG maples yield only about 10–15 gallons of dark syrup in a good year.
In October, an Indian Summer
Indian summer
An Indian summer is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost...
Festival celebrates the turning of the leaves.
The garden maintains a nature center and gift store.