September 22, 2021 By Carol Britton Meyer
The Garden Club of Hingham has been the faithful steward of the Olmsted garden at Old Ordinary, located at 21 Lincoln St., for nearly 70 years.
The garden is a blaze of color starting in the spring and continuing into the fall, featuring hosta, astilbe, fairy roses, daylilies, anemones, peonies, balloon flowers, ferns, and other plantings -- mostly in shades of pink and blue, with apricot, yellow (daffodils early in the season), and white floral accents.
The building -- which houses the Old Ordinary Museum -- was a tavern during the 17th Century and was donated to the Hingham Historical Society by Hingham philanthropist Wilmon Brewer in honor of his father in the 1920s.
The garden was designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps as a wedding present to "Mrs. Francis Cornish." The Rev. Louis C. Cornish and his wife, Francis, were married in 1906 and purchased the Old Ordinary at that time. Rev. Cornish was the minister of Old Ship Church and used The Annex at the back of the property as his study.
The community is encouraged to stop by the garden -- which is still in bloom -- for a breath of fresh air and to help cultivate a sense of inner peace and solace during these challenging times. Visitors can also sit on the bench and enjoy the flowers and the nearby gazebo.
The Hingham Garden Club Old Ordinary Committee, co-chaired by Carolyn Aliski and Patsy Bray, is comprised of 15 members. "The garden is a magical spot -- a lovely space to walk by or just to relax during a busy day," Aliski told the Hingham Anchor, and "a serene and lovely place to sit for a minute," Bray said.
The Hingham Historical Society granted the use of the Old Ordinary Annex to the Garden Club in 1952 in exchange for maintaining the Old Ordinary garden. The interior was upgraded with heat, running, water, and electric wiring. Seven years later, the club further renovated the Garden House with the proceeds from their Christmas Fair that year. The terrace was landscaped in 1965 and a brick terrace laid by members several years later.
The club used The Annex until 2009, at which time its members started meeting at Hingham Public Library, where they also hosted horticultural shows and displayed beautiful arrangements celebrating the town's 375th anniversary, among other events and activities.
After the Massachusetts Federation of Garden Clubs was formed in 1927, the Hingham Garden Club became a charter member.
Nearly a year ago -- when the giant nearly 150-year-old Tulip Tree that provided shade for the garden was seriously damaged during a storm -- causing a large branch to come down -- the Garden Club helped clean up the area. Eventually the tree had to be taken down.
Club members also arranged for Mario Rosano -- a local mason -- to repair the part of the brick walkway that was destroyed by the fallen branch.
Hingham contractor Peter Bickford repaired the damaged sundial and crafted a new pedestal to replace the smashed one that the sundial had stood upon, on a volunteer basis. "Fortunately, we had a photo of the sundial and pedestal to go by for the repairs," Bray said.
After the tree fell, Garden Club members dug out the damaged boxwoods in the garden and replaced them with 64 dwarf ilex -- a member of the holly family -- "to help bring the garden back together," she noted.
That "lovely old Tulip Tree allowed for a shade garden (what's there now) because of its overspreading branches, so now we're in transition because it's no longer there," Aliski said. "Fortunately, we had a lot of rain this summer, which helped the garden immensely."
Historical Society Executive Director Deirdre Anderson told the Hingham Anchor that the Society was saddened to have to remove the Tulip Tree from in front of the Old Ordinary in November 2020.
"We had worked with Bartlett Tree Experts to have a thorough diagnosis of the tree in June 2020, and then the tree gave us a dire warning during a microburst in October 2020 when a massive limb fell into the Olmsted Garden, crushing the pedestal with the sundial and tearing up the brick pathways."
Removal of the huge tree last November was ably completed by Maltby Tree, and there are plans to grind up the stump. "Loss of such a witness tree not only changes the streetscape but dramatically impacts temperatures in the house museum and plantings in the Olmsted Garden," Anderson said.
The Historical Society plans to replace the tree sometime in the future as part of a larger master landscape plan, according to Anderson. "We are humbled by the gracious offers of assistance with purchasing a new tree by donors, including the Garden Club of Hingham," she said. Even when a new tree is eventually planted, Bray pointed out, it will take a long time for it to grow tall enough to create shade.
"As a non-profit with a small staff, the Historical Society is profoundly grateful for the Garden Club of Hingham's years of stewardship of the Old Ordinary garden," Anderson said. "We could not keep it up without their hard work and expertise." A fall clean-up of the garden is among the club's next activities.
Anderson shared some exciting news looking toward the holidays. "The Garden Club of Hingham, the Hingham Historical Society, and the Pat Roche NVNA Hospice house are partnering for the 96th Historic House Tour Holiday Edition on Sunday, Dec. 5," she explained. "This is an opportunity to visit Hingham's architectural icons decorated for the holidays -- a total sensory experience not to be missed." More details to come.