From collection Creating Acadia National Park: The George B. Dorr Research Archive of Ronald H. Epp
 
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Chasse, Patrick
Chasse, Patrick
Patrick Chesse L Polor 118
Mt. Desert, ME 04660-0118
Moss King@aol.com
BEATRIX FARRAND SOCIETY
at
GARLAND FARM
P.O. Box 111, Mt. Desert, ME 04660
http://members.aol.com//savegarlandfarm/
Chasse wins garden award
By Anne Kozak
MOUNT DESERT Novelist
Roxana Robinson's garden at Wa-
termark on Somes Sound, de-
signed landscape architect Patrick
Chasse, has been recognized for its
use of native plants by the New
England Wildflower Society.
Mr. Chasse recently received the
Wildflower Society's first land-
scape design award - an honor
that marks the 75th anniversary of
Garden in the Woods, the society's
Framingham headquarters and a
garden which displays 1,500 native
plant species of North America.
The plan for the garden at Wa-
termark on Mount Desert Island
was one of Mr. Chasse's designs
featured at the awards ceremony in
recognition of the achievement of
a New England architect who has
specialized in using native plants
in exceptional or distinctive land-
scape compositions.
"The gardens are organized in
two parts: the interior, courtyard
garden and everything else," said
Ms. Robinson. "The courtyard
garden - in my mind - is a foliage
garden. The idea of the [garden
outside the courtyard] is to make
the propèrty blend seamlessly into
the surrounding woodlands and to
make it available to the local fauna
- birds, butterflies, moths and
mammals who were here before
we arrived."
To achieve this mix of a retreat
in the courtyard garden - a garden
ANNE KOZAK PHOTO
of mostly green and silver foliage
Novelist Roxanna Robinson's garden and its creators has been
with a few flowers - and the seam-
lauded for its use of native plants.
less blend in the woods surround-
ing the house and going down to
the shore, Ms. Robinson enlisted
Together they created the refuge
onlies, humming birds and but-
the help of Mr. Chasse
Ms. Robinson sought, a woodland
terflies," said Ms. Robinson.
garden nestled among tall conifers.
In the more open space be-
The garden juxtaposes tall conifers
tween the house and garage, Ms.
with smaller shrubs such as
Robinson has planted native
baneberry and high bush blue-
grasses. And on the south side of
berry and stands of native ferns in-
the house in raised beds and
cluding Christmas, cinnamon,
fenced to keep out the deer is a
Islander
hay-scented, lady, interrupted,
small vegetable and herb garden
maidenhair, ostrich, narrow beech,
along with milkweed plants to feed
royal and sensitive ferns. Beneath
monarch butterflies.
Dec 2007.
the shrubs and lining the paths go-
When the Robinsons first
ing to the shore and wrapping
thought about building on Mount
around the house are native
Desert Island, they knew they
groundcovers such as winterberry,
wanted the house in Maine to be
partridgeberry, mountain cran-
quiet, peaceful, cool, a refuge, in
berry, bunchberry and low bush
theory a refuge garden recalled
blueberry
Ms. Robinson. She did not want
"This native community creates
herbaceous borders. "No delphini-
a rich network of interdependence
ums, roses, no colors, no flowers,"
that supports and encourages local
she said although there are a few
wildlife - fox, chipmunks, porcu-
white flowers in the courtyard gar-
pine, covote, deer. frogs, bees drag-
den.
Mount Desert Islander
THURSDAY, JULY 26,
2007.
Beatrix Farrand's legacy lives on
By Mary Jones
XC "It was
SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Noted landscape architect
Patrick Chassé spoke with
fascinating!"
humor and passion as he re-
Mimi Houghton
counted the remarkable career of
landscape designer Beatrix Far-
rand. Mr. Chassé was the fea-
wanted both naturalism and scien-
tured speaker Jul 19 at the Clare-
mont Inn.
tific order. Her greatest love was for
vines which covered the walls of
Born in New York in 1872,
her home.
Beatrix Jones (later Farrand)
summered at her family's cottage,
Following a decline in interest
Reef Point, in Bar Harbor. It was
in Reef Point, Mrs. Farrand de-
cided to dismantle the estate. The
there that her love of plants devel-
oped as she roamed the Maine
house was taken down and por-
tions of it were used to create a set
woods.
In 1890 she moved to Massa-
of apartments at the Garland
chusetts where she apprenticed
farmhouse in Salisbury Cove. It
was here that she lived until her
under renowned landscaper
death in 1959 under the care of her
Charles Sprague Sargent. Under his
friends, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Gar-
tutelage, she trained her eye toward
the movement of naturalist design.
land. Mrs. Farrand brought with
her to Garland Farm a selection of
On returning to New York, she set
up her own studio after acquiring
her favorite plants. The greater
knowledge of drafting and survey-
part of her gardens were taken and
ing - skills usually not taught to
used by landscaper Charles Savage
women in that day.
in his own designs including the
Asticou Gardens in Northeast
Reef Point later became home
Harbor.
for her and her husband Max Far-
rand. Throughout her career on
Mrs. Farrand was a pioneer in
Mount Desert Island, she designed
her field; her designs left a legacy of
many of the gardens for summer
original, naturalistic design.
residents, including the Scott and
It is this legacy that Mr. Chassé,
Burn families of Bar Harbor and
a landscape architect himself, is
the Rockefeller family of Seal Har-
working on preserving. He has
or The Burn and Rockefeller gar-
been restoring the Garland farm
estate to what it was when Mrs.
dens still exist. Many of the island
Farrand lived there. "It will be a
MARY JONES PHO
gardens she designed were de-
stroyed during the Great Fire of
museum, design and horticulture
Landscape architect Patrick Chassé speaks to a gathering at th
947. Mrs. Farrand is also credited
center," said Mr. Chassé. He wants
Claremont Inn.
with several gardens across the
it to be a place where both students
country and one in England.
and garden connoisseurs can enjoy
Mrs. Farrand's love of plants led
and learn. The search for her origi-
er to a desire to create a horticul-
nal sketches and blueprints has led
ire learning center at her estate.
him to libraries across the country
and even into the occasional for-
he collection of native and exotic
lants she brought to the place was
gotten attic box.
Mr. Chasse's lecture received a
onsidered the largest and most
omplete north of Boston. When
warm responsive. "It was fascinat-
signing the layout Mrs. Farrand
ing! I didn't know about all the gar-
dens." said Mimi Houghton of
Northeast Harbor.
news@mdislander.com
8/14/17
Mount Desert Islander
SECTION 2
PAGE 3
Chassé, Mancinelli will
discuss historic landscapes
BAR
HARBOR
in landscape architecture and
Landscape architect Patrick
taught at the Arnold Arbore-
Chassé and College of the At-
tum and the Graduate School
lantic Charles Eliot Professor
of Design of Harvard Univer-
of Ecological Planning, Policy
sity. He also was the curator
and Design Isabel Mancinelli
of landscape at the Isabella
will talk about Mount Desert
Stewart Gardner Museum. He
Island's iconic landmarks in the
is considered an authority on
last Coffee and Conversation
the five historic gardens on the
of the summer in the Thomas
island - Reef Point, Asticou
S. Gates Jr. Community Center
Azalea Garden, Thuya Garden,
on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 9am.
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Gar-
Chassé is an MDI landscape
den and Garland Farm.
architect specializing in histor-
COA's Coffee and Conver-
ic landscapes, reconstruction
sation Series spans the cul-
of natural plant communities
tural, political and social is-
and design of new gardens,
sues shaping our world. Guest
both . residential and institu-
speakers include writers, sci-
tional. He and Mancinelli will
entists, business leaders and
discuss MDI's historic land-
artists. Conversations take
scapes and how we can pre-
place weekly at College of the
ISLANDER FILE PHOTO
serve and integrate them with
Atlantic's Eden Street campus
our modern lives.
through August. A focus on
Patrick Chassé will speak at College of the Atlantic on
Chassé graduated from the
the humanities and pressing
Aug. 29.
Harvard Graduate School of
topical issues characterized
Design with a master's degree
this summer's events.
6/19/2015
A new respect for horticulture arts The Boston Globe
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HOUSE & HOME
GARDENING
The Boston Globe
A new respect for horticulture arts
By Carol Stocker, Globe Staff
January
20,
2005
On a winter day, the courtyard of the Gardner Museum is the most beautiful spot in Boston. This
formal indoor garden of flowers interspersed with ancient Greco-Roman sculptures is surrounded
by four stories of stone columns and balconies plucked from Europe more than 100 years ago by
Isabella Stewart Gardner. The fabulously wealthy diva then capped her Venetian palazzo-style
museum with a then-revolutionary glass roof to create a year-round Mediterranean garden for
visitors.
For the past two years, landscape architect Patrick Chasse has been "deliciously" delving into
archives and doing "subtle tweaking" to return the iconic courtyard closer to Gardner's version.
His appointment last week as the museum's first "curator of landscape" formalizes his role and
A perk for Gardner curator of
elevates the horticultural element of a museum created by an audacious connoisseur who
landscape Patrick Chasse is that he
considered gardening another branch of the arts.
gets to walk in the museum's interior
courtyard, closed to visitors since at
"The Gardner Museum is a uniquely visual and aesthetic museum combining all of the arts,
least 1924. (Globe Staff Photo / John
Tlumacki)
including fine art, music, and horticulture," said director Anne Hawley. Noting that the museum's
formal music program was created after the benefactor's death, she added, "We hope Patrick's
LATEST YOUR LIFE
addition to our wonderful team of curators will have an equally lasting effect on the museum, and
GALLERIES:
the visibility and importance of the horticultural arts."
Photos of icon jean styles
Maria Menounos
Chasse will deliver his first lecture as a Gardner curator, "Gardens and the Mind's Eye," Saturday
Mass. appeal
at 1:30 p.m. at the museum. The event will also mark the debut of a new visitor's guide to the
Beyond the pint glass
courtyard describing its botanical and horticultural treasures and containing some of the old
Home sweet home show
photographs that helped guide Chasse. For instance, Chinese garden seats shaped like porcelain
Brimfield Antique Show
barrels were returned to the garden based on one of the photos.
Model behavior
When good toys go bad
"[The photographs] showed that the courtyard had more shrubbery that made it feel like a garden
Red Sox (Animal) Nation
as you walked into it," said Chasse.
Party it up, Solie-style
Soxy style
Of course, the courtyard has not been open to visitors at least since 1924, when Gardner died.
Drive-in memories
Chasse said he would love to open it for special events "if it reaches the point where it's stable
Celtics Dancers finals
enough. It's on my wish list - but a long way out. She had wonderful private parties in the
Simpsons in Springfield
courtyard with orange Japanese lanterns," added Chasse, with a touch of yearning. "A friend of
This place is a ZOO
mine who is in his 80s has a description from his father's memoirs of attending one."
Calendar girls
The next Gisele?
The horticultural exhibit in the courtyard changes nine times a year, a practice that will continue,
Previous Your Life features
with the current yellow jasmine trees, white azaleas, and jade trees and cyclamen giving way in
More in Your Life
March to cineraria, calla lilies, and orange trees from the museum greenhouses. The famous
hanging nasturtiums in April are followed by hydrangeas in May, delphiniums in June, fuchsia
BOSTON.COM'S MOST E-
trees in July, campanula in August, and then a big fall chrysanthemum show, and finally the
MAILED
SEARCH THE ARCHIVES
much-loved Christmas display.
It's a garden that anyone would envy, always filled with perfect flowers.
GO
But it has a dirty little secret: The courtyard is not terribly hospitable to plants. Though it looks
Today (free)
aglow with natural light to the visitor, most plants find it too shady. And the ground cover of baby's
tears needs continual patching because of poor drainage. Chasse is introducing mosses. "It's a
Yesterday (free)
little swampy. Like a terrarium," he confided.
Past 30 days
Last 12 months
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2005/01/20/a_new_respect_.for_horticulture_arts/?page=fu
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6/19/2015
A new respect for horticulture arts The Boston Globe
Many plants must be rotated, as they commonly are in office buildings. Some have understudies
Advanced search / Historic Archives
in the greenhouse that take turns performing in the courtyard, explained Chasse. "It's like a stage
set. A Metropolitan Opera-type of stage set. And [head gardener] Stan Kozak is the stage master
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extraordinaire."
Old photos also showed palm trees going up to the second balcony. "As the palms died, they
were not replaced, leaving a more simplified display of just potted plants," said Chasse. But rather
than reintroduce in-ground palm trees, he has added potted fish tail palms to the corners because
they provide height but are lightweight and easily moved when they need a vacation.
Chasse would also like to "tweak" the Monk's Garden, a shady outside yard installed by Gardner
and open to the public during the warmer months. He is considering staging outdoor exhibits of
garden sculpture and ornaments there.
A museum addition is planned for 2011 and one of Chasse's most important jobs will be to work
with architect Renzo Piano designing the surroundings for the new wing, perhaps with spaces for
changing outdoor "galleries" of plants and sculpture that could also be viewed from inside. The
area in question is currently inhabited by trees, parking lots, and staging space, "but they're not
sacred like the courtyard or the Monk's garden because they were built after Isabella died," said
Chasse.
"Curator of landscapes" is a recent title in museum work, used mostly by historic houses and
their gardens, such as Winterthur, a leading decorative arts museum and naturalistic estate
garden in Delaware. Several years ago, Historic New England (formerly SPNEA) created such a
post for its many historic properties. Chris Patzke is the new occupant of that position.
While Kozak does the technical planning as head gardener, Chasse explained, "I will be dealing
more with design, landscape history, interpretation, and educational programs related to
horticulture."
Based on Mount Desert Island in Maine, Chasse also maintains a studio in the Brickbottom
Building in Somerville. A graduate of the Harvard School of Design, he has taught there and at the
Radcliffe Seminars Program, now renamed the Landscape Institute. The garden historian has
recently completed an Ottoman garden reconstruction in Istanbul and led last year's successful
efforts to purchase and preserve Garland Farm on Mount Desert Island, the last home and garden
of Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959), America's first woman landscape architect.
"My firm is just me basically, spread all over the map," said Chasse, who has a waiting list of
clients.
Isabella Stewart Gardner in her lifetime maintained the museum's greenhouses at her famous 40-
acre garden in Chestnut Hill, which was called Green Hill. That's long gone, and today Kozak and
his staff of six use 6,000 square feet of greenhouse space behind the museum, plus a 12,000-
square-foot greenhouse on the Hunnewell Estate in Wellesley. That's where the museum's best-
loved horticultural tradition, the 20-foot cascading vines of orange nasturtiums, are grown
(horizontally) before being hung in the courtyard each year on April 14, Gardner's birthday.
In another floral tradition, violets are displayed in season in a silver cup under "Christ Carrying the
Cross" by the school of Giovanni Bellini, as specified by the Grande Dame.
But there are limits to historic fidelity, even at Mrs. Gardner's museum. "She put pots of flowers in
the Greek sarcophagus in the courtyard, using it as a cache pot!" said Chasse, chuckling.
"If we did that today," added Kozak, "we'd make the conservation people very unhappy."
Only Isabella could do exactly as she wished.
Tickets for Chasse's lecture are $7 for members, $15 for nonmembers, $11 for seniors, and free
for students. They can be reserved by calling TicketWeb at 866-468-7619 or on line at
gardnermuseum.org.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
12
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PRESS RELEASE
Here is advance notice that the Winner of our new Landscape Design Award (embargoed
until Nov 4, 2007 at 1:30.) is a Maine resident. I hope you can cover the event and share
this news of the premiere of the award. Two other Maine residents will be awarded, as
well. Images are available-I'm back in for questions tomorrow morning.
CONTACT:
Debra Strick, Marketing and PR Director
508.877.7630 x3501
dstrick@newenglandWILD.org
Images available
MEMBERS OF THE PRESS INVITED
TO THE CEREMONY AT GARDEN IN THE WOODS BEGINNING 1:30 11/4/07
PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until 1:30 pm Sunday, November 4, 2007
NEW ENGLAND WILD FLOWER SOCIETY ANNOUNCES LANDSCAPE
DESIGN AWARD WINNER
Framingham, Massachusetts The New England Wild Flower Society, America,s
oldest plant conservation organization, honors Patrick Chassé, ASLA of Mt. Desert
Island, Maine with the first New England Wild Flower Society Landscape Design Award.
The award recognizes the achievements of a New England-based firm or individual
specializing in landscape architecture or design with a long-term commitment to the use
of native plants in exceptional or distinctive landscape compositions. The Society
launches the award in 2007 to mark the 75th anniversary of Garden in the Woods,
Society headquarters and world-renowned living museum, displaying 1,500 of the native
plant species and cultivars of North America. The award calls attention to the use of
native plants for sustainable and beautiful landscapes. The awards ceremony takes place
at the Society's annual meeting on November 4th, 2007.
"This award is the highest level of recognition I can imagine for my work," says Chassé.
"Since my childhood wanderings in the woodlands of northern Maine, I have been
interested in the way humans and their cultural paraphernalia fit into the natural fabric of
the earth One of my goals for the landscape is to tie it into its natural context. Utilizing
native plants is a way to blend into the regional character without undermining the
sophistication of any landscape design. Achieving a balance between concept and
context provides the best harmonic for serene living on the land.%
Chasse,s dual background both in design and in botany and natural
systems allows him to understand the basic plant communities of any
region, and to create works that are sympathetic both ecologically and
aesthetically. "Watermark,% a residence on Mt. Desert Island in
Maine is one of the Chassé projects that will be highlighted at the awards ceremony
at the Society,s Annual Meeting on November 4th at headquarters at Garden in the
Woods in Framingham, MA.
Patrick Chassé, based in Mt. Desert Island, Maine, designs residential landscapes and
some campus and institutional landscapes on the East coast of the U.S. from the tropics
up to Maine, incorporating a broad range of cultural influences. He received a Bachelors
degree in Biology and a Masters of Environmental
Education from the University of Maine in Orono and graduated from
the Harvard Graduate School of Design with a second Masters in
Landscape Architecture. He also attended the Haystack School of
Crafts in Deer Isle, ME, and Sheffield University in Sheffield, England
where he was a visiting lecturer. He has also taught at the Arnold
Arboretum and the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University
and has served as Curator of Landscape at the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum in Boston, MA since 2005. Featured in publications
worldwide, his designs may be seen in Page Dickey,s Breaking Ground:
Portraits of Ten Garden Designers, Denise Otis, Grounds for Pleasure: Four
Centuries of the American Garden, and periodicals such as House & Garden,
Architectural Digest, Abitare, Town & Country, and Gardens Illustrated.
The Awards Committee is chaired by Clara Batchelor, Principal and Founder of CBA
Landscape Architects of Somerville, Massachusetts, and Trustee of the Society.
Admired for her outstanding urban and suburban contextual landscapes, Clara won a
Boston Society of Landscape Architecture award for Harriet Tubman Park in Boston and
was also recognized for her work at the Farnworth Museum of Rockland, Maine. She
says, "Patrick has been a leader in promoting the use of native plants in contemporary
landscape design."
"We are delighted to present Patrick Chassé with this award, recognizing his dedication
and leadership in the use of native plants. I hope this award helps the public and
professionals recognize the important role these plants play in garden composition,%e
says distinguished landscape designer and Landscape Design Award Chairman Gary
Koller of Koller & Associates of Stoughton, Massachusetts. Gary is known for producing
beautiful garden designs in Boston, and received the Gold Medal from the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society for his work. Koller will present the award at the ceremonies at
Society headquarters at Garden in the Woods.
Rather than focusing on an individual project, the Landscape Design Award recognizes
an organization or individual for a body of work created over time. The emphasis is on
naturalistic or creative use and interpretation of native plants in plantings designed, built,
and maintained in New England. In future years, it will be awarded as exceptional
candidates are identified and not necessarily on an annual basis.
To nominate a worthy individual or organization for consideration or to submit an
application, please contact Karen Pierce at kpierce@newenglandwild.org, 508-877-7630
X 3801. Please request the official entry form. Drawings, visual images and plant lists are
required as part of the application. As part of the review process, a panel of judges visits
the sites of the finalists.
New England Wild Flower Society also recognizes worthy individuals and organizations
with awards for service, conservation, education, and gardens, both public and private.
The Society gives awards to organizations and individuals in all six New England states
with presentations at its annual meeting in November of each year. See the complete list
at www.newenglandwild.org. Please contact Karen Pierce of the Awards Committee for
information about the Landscape Design Award, or other Society awards, or to nominate
a worthy individual or organization.
- END-
Beatrix Farrand
A list of her work, made by Mrs. Farrand about 1950.
Dr. Robert Abbe
Pool, dam and garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Arnold Arboretum
Occasional consultant, Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Mrs. Walter Ayer
Garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Miss Charlotte Baker
Garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Mrs. Gerrish Beale
Garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Mr. Cortlandt F. Bishop
The Winter Palace, Lenox, Mass.
Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss
Occasional consultant, Casa Dorinda, Santa
Barbara, California
Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Design for grounds and gardens, Dumbarton
Woods Bliss
Oaks, Washington, D.C.
Mrs. William H. Bliss
Drainage of field, Bar Harbor, Maine
Mrs. James Byrne
Design for garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
California Institute of
Occasional consultant, planting at a few build-
Technology
ings
Mrs. Alfred Coats
Design of garden at Bar Harbor, Maine, and
Newport, Rhode Island
Mr. Thomas Condon
Terraces at Tuxedo Park, New York
Mrs. Edward K. Dunham
Garden, Seal Harbor, Maine
Mrs. Roswell Eldridge
Design for Garden, Great Neck, Long Island,
New York
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard
Remodeling and planting of grounds, Dart-
Elmhirst
ington Hall, Totnes, South Devon, England
Mrs. Elliott
Consultation, Ruxton Park, Maryland
Mrs. Shepard Fabbri
Preliminary design for grounds, Bar Harbor,
Maine
Mr. Thomas W. Farnham
Town Garden, New Haven, Connecticut
Miss Lucy Frelinghuysen
Consultant for garden, Northeast Harbor,
Maine
Greenfield, Connecticut
Planting of Village Green, 1896-97
Dr. George Ellery Hale
Observatory garden, Pasadena, California
Hamilton College
Consultation by request of Hon. Elihu Root
Mrs. Morgan Hamilton
Garden consultant, Table Rock, Sterlington,
New York
Mr. William Pierson
Garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Hamilton
Mr. Edward J. Hancy
Occasional consultant, Tuxedo Park, New York
Mrs. Marcus Hanna
Garden, Seal Harbor, Maine
Mrs. Edward S. Harkness
Remodeling of garden, New London, Conn.
Mrs. Edward S. Harkness
Planting at Woodlawn Cemetery, New York
Mr. Henry Frazer Harris
Design for ground and garden, Chestnut Hill,
Pennsylvania
Harvard University
Consulting landscape gardener, Dumbarton
Oaks, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Harry G. Haskell
Terraces and garden, Northeast Harbor,
Maine
Mr. Henry E. Hatfield
Garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Mrs. Morris Hawkes
Design for garden, Bar Harbor, Maine
Hill School, Pottstown,
The Master's Garden
Pa.
49
Page 1 of 1
From: Ron Epp
From 
To "Patrick Chasse"
Date 03/25/2010 11:20:25
Hi Patrick,
The other day I received my copy of the Spring BFS Newsletter and read with pleasure your review of
Carmen's compilation. As you point out, her first handwritten journal entries involve her Bar Harbor
experiences--including a visit to Oldfarm. By an odd coincidence, that review was brought to my attention
again when I lunched yesterday with Alan Emmet. She and I had been exchanging correspondence about Mr.
Dorr since 2003 and since she is nearby in Westport, we finally managed to get together at her lovely home.
She also referred to your lecture last Saturday. I wish I had known about it for I would have made the trip to
the Gardner to hear you speak! Alan was much interested in the situation at The Mount and so I brought along
my copy the 2006 conference papers which had just been published this past fall. She is quite a lady!
Given your level of activity, I trust that your health has been restored. Will you be traveling to MDI in the
months ahead? Elizabeth and I are scheduled to be there for a week beginning June 21st, staying at the
Atlantic Eyrie Inn.
The Dorr manuscript was completed this past January and sent off to Robin Karson for the start of the editorial
process. I have the good fortune of having Jane Roy Brown as my editor and so the chapters are now being
returned to me for resolution of questions and my personal approval. I've given Jane a free hand, recognizing
that it is overly long, far too detailed by my own preoccupation with historical minutia. Now I'm selecting the
illustrations, trying to decide on their placement, and beginning the process of securing the necessary
permissions. I am also involved in her efforts to secure funding for its publication and to that end we've
recently sent letters of inquiry to the C.F. Adams Chaitable Trust and the Quimby Family Foundation. Do you
have any funding suggestions?
Elizabeth is still working 32-hours/week at Lowell General Hospital, on the eve of her retirement. The last
eighteen months have been a real taxing period for her. Her parents lived in a continuing care health facility in
eastern Pennsylvania for nearly two decades and over Thanksgiving 2008 they could no longer live
independently. As their only child, we had to dispose of their possessions as they relocated to more intensive
care. At 93 and 97 years of age, they passed away within eight days of one another in March 2009. You know
all too well the impact of such rites of passage.
I miss seeing you. I hope that we can get together. If you ever get a momentary impulse to escape
Somerville, pack a bag and head north toward Nashua. You are always welcome here!
As ever,
Ron
Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D.
47 Pondview Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
(603) 424-6149
eppster2@myfairpoint.net
Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D.
47 Pondview Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
(603) 424-6149
eppster2@myfairpoint.net
https://webmail.myfairpoint.net/hwebmail/mail/message.php?index=96
3/25/2010
Page 1 of 1
From Ron Epp
From 
To "Patrick Chasse" 
Date Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:11:28 -0500
Dear Patrick,
It has been far too long since I emailed you! My apologies. Rarely has a week gone by when I didn't wonder
about your health--and later, your whereabouts.
I've had time to do more wondering than usual for I've been largely housebound since Thanksgiving with
prostatitis. I've been reassurred that this has nothing to do with prostate cancer but 15-30 minutes of bad pain
after every urination promotes diagnostic doubt, especially when the antibiotics and antinflammatory drugs don't
work. Anyway, enough of that!
I'm hoping to get up to MDI next month to resolve some loose ends that keep reappearing as I finalize the
chapters that I've begin sending off to Robin Karson at the Library of American Landscape History. By the way, it
appears that the papers we presented at The Mount in 2006 will finally be published this Spring. I was delighted
when Judith Tankard asked me to write the lead article for the Winter 2009 BSF News but it was difficult to
condense all that could be said into the confines of one page.
Elizabeth continues working 32-hours per week at Lowell General Hospital. In recent months her 93 and 97 year
old parents have taken a severe turn for the worse and so we've been painfully traveling to Pennsylvania to
attend to them and their finances.
Drop us a brief line! We'd love to hear from you ! !
Ron
Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D.
47 Pondview Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
(603) 424-6149
eppster2@myfairpoint.net
https://webmail.myfairpoint.net/hwebmail/mail/message.php?index=102
2/26/2009
Page 1 of 1
Re: Ron Epp: Attachment
From "Patrick Chasse" 
To 
Date Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:02:32 -0500
Attachments 1492.pdf [ 1.04 MB ]
Bravo!!! Terrific timely letter, reminding us of blessings that help
counteract all the chaos and misery now cast about the planet.
I got back early in January from my southern California "radiation vacation"
and am settling back in--thermally and culturally--to the Boston bubble. I'm
assuming full banishment of the C-beast, and have only 3 years of follow up
tests to be absolutely sure. Glad that's all behind me.
My batteries are still not up to full capacity, and seem to run down faster,
so I'm still in "recharge" mode, sleeping 8-10 hours a night and needing a
2-3 hour "makeup" nap to boot. Much better than when I returned from sunny
CA, but still on the mend. I've had enough nuclear energy injected to power
a small Maine town, so it's a little frustrating that the personal energy is
somewhat elusive. The good news is that the brain is rebooting and the focus
is coming back (out of the fog) and I'm able to more clearly tackle the
mounds of paperwork and messages that accumulated in my absence--including
the whole new world of medical bills and insurance. I wonder if I should I
start applying to nursing homes now? Will you write a letter of
recommendation???
I did bursts of garden visiting in California, including Getty Villa, New
Getty, Huntington, and Norton-Simon. Didn't make it to Santa Barbara for
Farrand tracking, though. Visited a wonderful isolated native palm oasis on
an Indian reservation just east of Palm Springs, and picked up the attached
bumper sticker. Should I send it, belatedly, to Mr. Bush?
I recommence monthly Maine migrations next weekend, and resume settling in
to my Somesville nest. Hope to see you in Maine this season.
Regards to Elizabeth.
Cordially,
Patrick
Patrick Chassé, ASLA
1 Fitchburg Street, C-211
Somerville, MA 02143-2139
Tel. (617)629-7736
https://webmail.myfairpoint.net/hwebmail/mail/message.php?index=275
2/26/2009
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Delightful to hear from you, though the news of your arthritic trials
Ron Archives (26)
brings
an in voluntary "ouch" reaction. I hope your PT is progressing well an
that
Search Shortcuts
you will be fully restored.
My Photos
The NEWFS award was very gratifying, but I'm afraid the MDIslander onl
My Attachments
got
it partly right: although the Robinson garden was one of the most
recent and
most interesting gardens considered in the larger portfolio of work,
the
award was actually for a body of 30 years' work with native plants--a
more
satisfying recognition from my point of view. The official NEWFS press
release, which the Islander seems to have largely ignored, carried a
lot
more information. I attach it for your edification, since you've
invoked
Dorr in the same paragraph (also an honor). We can arrange for a peek
at
Robinson's on one of your visits this summer.
Speaking of Robinson, I just secured a copy of the July 1914 National
Geographic with his article on the new park, on e-Bay. Do you have
that??
I'm happy to copy or scan it for you.
I'm cutting back a bit on my Gardner time, now that things are pretty
much
on track, and working more from my more spacious studio. The
claustrophobia
and chafing of three people in the 6 X 10 foot office undermines my
concentration and efficiency, as well as that of my assistants. With
a
more
flexible schedule, I hope to be freer to travel here and abroad, and
a
planning a full month in Japan next fall to work on my moss book.
I'm back and forth between Maine and Somerville--heading up to Maine
this
weekend for a week--but the balance is more to city over the winter. I
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hope
to get larger blocks of time in Maine over the warm months. After a
tumultuous year of losing 6 close older friends, including my mom, I
aim to
get back to a more normal rhythm of life there.
Keep me posted as to your research migrations, when you return to your
normal rhythm. You are always welcome in Somerville--whether or not I
am
present--as a base of operations.
Regards to Elizabeth.
Cheers,
Patrick
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Date:
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Dear Ron,
Ron Archives
Glad to hear you and Elizabeth will get some quality time on
(18)
just
returned to Boston, after a few days trying to catch up on la
Search Shortcuts
project
work on Mt. Desert, and am headed to NY and CT today. I've be
My Photos
off
My Attachments
my schedule, and my game, by the timely (at 95) loss of my mu
weeks back. Scrambles to make final arrangements in Florida,
added
responsibilities of estate resolution, threw a wrench in my n
crazy
spring schedule. It will take weeks to recover, on many front
won't
return to Mt. Desert until July 1, SO I'm afraid I'll miss yo
that
end.
I'm very happy to let you have the use of my loft while you'r
the
shafts of the Houghton. It's less comfortable at this time of
since
there is no AC, but you are welcome to use it. I may be in Bo
July
23-27th, for some meetings at the Gardner and project duties
south.
I'll be in Maine the week of the 16th, and from the 28th thro
end of
the month, SO I'm not sure how much we would overlap in Bosto
mean,
yy the "last two weeks," " either July 22-31 or July 15-28 (two
weeks),
we would have some overlap for catching up and sharing resear
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Let me
know how you think this could work for you. I can send you a
directions, if I can't be there to welcome you. Guest accommo
are
basic in the loft: a comfortable futon sofa, full bath, kitch
LOTS of
books to browse.
Interesting news about Betsy Anderson. I'm delighted she has
opportunity. The Mount has a lot of growing to do before they
appreciate the importance of that position--in more than titl
that
when I see you.
Got to run. Best to Elizabeth.
Cordially,
Patrick
Patrick Chassé, ASLA
1 Fitchburg Street, C-211
Somerville, MA 02143-2139
Tel. (617)629-7736
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Ron messages
Dear Patrick,
Back now a few weeks from The Mount and am catching up on overdue
correspondence while I wait for my wife to do a final edit on the paper that
Betsy will publish next year in the Garden Conference Proceedings. The
conference exceeded my expectations and despite constant rain it truned out
very well. I met Ellie Dwight to whom my paper is indebted and found to my
GREAT surprise that she is the daughter of Sargent Collier, who as you know,
is the only one to publish nearly fifty years ago a very brief "biography" of Mr.
Dorr. Eleanor was about to leave with george for MDI and I hope to see her
there this summer, in part because it is my hope that she may have in her
possession documentation for some of the claims that her father made in "The
Trumph of George B. Dorr."
Regarding the Wharton correspondence to Farrand at Yale, all I have is half a
dozen pages of notes that I took with a specific goal in mind: their "flower talk." I
can send you a copy of this immediately if you like but I did not copy any
manuscripts.
How is your summer shaping up? Alice Long, Deb Wade, and I are trying to put
together a brief celebration on Tuesday August 22nd at Sieur de Monts
commemorating the 90th anniverary of the establishment of the Sieur de Monts
National Monument within the context of two other related matters: completion
of the NPS restoration of the Sieur de Monts Spring area and the centennial of
the Antiquities Act which enabled National Monuments to be established by
Presidential authority without Congressional oversight. I hope that you have
time free to join us and even to participate. We're still in the early stages of
developing a very brief program.
How is your mother faring? My wife and I make monthly trips from here
to
Allentown Pennsylvania to check in on her 90 year old father and 95 year old
mother. We well recognize the issues involved.
By the way, in my Wharton presentation I made a comment to the effect that
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time/form
the relationship between Dorr and Farrand was largely unexplored but perhaps
more importantly no one had documented the character and extent of her
relationship with JDR Jr., not ignoring your work on the Eyne Gardens but
3
rather focused on her landscaping work as Acadia National Park developed. I'd
like to talk with you about this at greater length this summer and see what we
Kent
collectively have in the way of insights and documentation, assuming your
interest in this matter. Since David Rockefeller and his parents will be honored
Smith jack in
this summer during the Friends of Acadia August gala, I wonder if he would
have a conversation with us about this matter. What do you think? My efforts in
the past to reach him about Mr. Dorr have proven fruitless.
Take care and please keep in touch.
Ron
Rede i new tep
Ron Epp
47 Pond View Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
(603) 424-6149
eppster2@verizon.net
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-
9 September 2004
Patrick Chasse
P.O. Box 118
Mt. Desert, ME 04660
Dear Patrick,
Thanks for leaving me a phone message Wednesday. My wife and I will be staying at the
Atlantic Oakes from the 14t th through the 18th If your schedule would permit us to get
together, to see the Garland Farm, and to discuss the enclosed essay from the Sawtelle
Archives at the ANP HQ, I would be most pleased. If you could ring us at the Atlantic
Oakes when you return-or leave a message when you are available--I'll get back to you.
The title of the brief essay gives no clear indication that it will focus on the career of
Beatrix Farrand. Please ignore marginal notes and underlines, they are my additions with
the exception of the "rewritten" comment and the 6/2/38 date on page one--both added by
unknown hands.
In preparing my biography of Mr. Dorr I've rather thoroughly reviewed the Farrand
secondary literature and find absolutely no mention of this project. Given the manner in
which Dorr characterizes the project, it may be that other contemporary scholars were
aware of her MDI efforts in the late 1890's but didn't regard them as professionally
significant. I'd be interested in your interpretation and any background that you can
provide.
The Bliss Family Papers do not appear to shed any light on this matter; nor does the
correspondence with J.D. Rockefeller Jr. at the Rockefeller Archive Center. If Dorr is
correct and there were expenditures associated with this "contract" then I would expect
that they might be documented at the University of California. But I find no mention of
this project on her client list and it may be the case that she destroyed such records as she
did others prior to their relocation to UC.
Perhaps I am making too much of this matter. It is not characteristic of Dorr to speak
negatively about others, let alone someone with whom he would have such a protracted
relationship. Could it be that forty years after the fact he is still miffed that her actions
made it "difficult for me to get the land I wanted along the mountain foot"?
I look forward to our discussion.
Most Cordially,
Ronald Epp, Ph.D.
Page 1 of 1
Epp, Ronald
From:
MossKing@aol.com
Sent:
Thursday, January 12, 2006 9:27 AM
To:
Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: George Dorr & Edith Wharton
Hi Ron,
I survived the holidays, a horrible cold, and a huge mound of Beatrix Farrand end of year paperwork, and am
trying to catch up on personal correspondence.
I offered to do a piece at the Mount conference on Beatrix and Edith and their respective contributions to
American garden design, but Ellie Dwight has her eye on that same sort of topic. Ellie is an old friend and client
and I think is also on the Board of the Mount, so I think she will take that torch for this particular symposium. Betsy
Anderson is very sweet and smoothed any possible feelings of doubt.
I'm very keen to know more about the contents of the Beatrix/Edith correspondence you've been reviewing, but I
don't see having the luxury of time to visit the Beineke to study them first hand. If you have made copies of any of
the letters, I would be forever indebted if I could obtain copies of the copies for an initial sampling of their
correspondence. Speaking of copies, I've made you a copy of the Mt. Desert Nursery catalog, as promised, but
have lagged behind in shipping it off to you. It's my new year's resolution to do SO.
The new treasurer of the BFS, Howard Monroe, has decided to try and synchronize all membership renewals for
the BFS for the beginning of the year and will be sending out a renewal notice late this month. You are not
forgotten. The big news for Garland Farm, if I haven't mentioned it before, is that it was listed on the National
Register in late October. Local papers neglected to print the Maine Historic Preservation Commission's press
release for the honor, so we'll focus on that for good news to spread on MDI in 2006.
I may be coming up to Mt. Desert the week of the 23rd. I'm doing competing trips to Florida to tend to an ailing 94
year old mom, so no schedule is secure. It still may be easier to invoke our plan of a rendezvous at the Gardner
Museum in the coming months. I attach a scan of the new Landscape Lecture Series program, in case you might
be interested in my new directions at the Gardner.
Regards from Boston. Happy New Year.
Cheers,
Patrick
Patrick Chassé, ASLA
PO Box 118, Mt. Desert, ME 04660 el.(voice/fax) 207-244-0700
+ One Fitchburg St., B-451, Somerville, MA 02143
tel. 617-629-7736, fax 617-628-9238
1/12/2006
Page 1 of 4
Epp, Ronald
From:
Epp, Ronald
Sent:
Thursday, December 15, 2005 10:10 AM
To:
'MossKing@aol.com'
Subject: George Dorr & Edith Wharton
Patrick,
How are you faring these days? SEE BELOW my correspondence with Betsy Anderson regarding their
forthcoming May 2006 conference at The Mount where I have agreed to offer some insights on Mr. Dorr's
relationship with Edith Wharton-and unavoidably Beatrix Farrand.
I urge you to consider involving yourself in this event. I paid my first visit - offseason-to The Mount in early
November when a Berkshire landscape architect named Cornelia Gilder-with whom I've been collaborating on
the Dorr Family involvements in Lenox culture from the 1840's to 1890's-showed me the property and the we
speculated on the location of the George Dorr Path that Edith Wharton had designed to honor Mr. Dorr. Following
my trip several months ago to the Beinecke where I believe alerted you to the large number of Wharton-Jones
letters, I've been cramming up on the secondary literature on Wharton's gardens and their relationship to her
writing.
Care to collaborate on themes that connect Wharton to her two best known Mount Desert Island correspondents?
Do let me know your thinking on this matter. I fuilly expect that at this late date your plate is quite full. I plan on
coming to MDI in January for the postponed Spirit if Acadia meeting and I'd like to see you if you will be on the
island.
Best wishes for the holidays.
Ron
P.S. I know that I once joined the Beatrix Farrand Society but I don't recall getting a renewal notice for more than
a year. I'd like to stay involved and supportive of your efforts!!
Ronald H. Epp Ph.D.
University Library Director &
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH 03106
603-668-2211 x2164
r.epp@snhu.edu
From: Betsy Anderson [mailto:banderson@EDITHWHARTON.ORG]
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 9:28 AM
To: Epp, Ronald
Subject: RE: George Dorr
Dear Ron,
I'm thrilled to hear that you would like to speak at the conference next May. Based on the most recent version of
the conference program, we could schedule your talk for either Saturday, May 20 or Sunday, May 21. If those
days are not convenient for you, I could try to work it into Friday as well, for I have a little bit of schedule "wiggle
12/15/2005
Page 1 of 2
Epp, Ronald
From:
Epp, Ronald
Sent:
Saturday, November 26, 2005 8:16 AM
To:
'MossKing@aol.com'
Subject: Garland Farms & Grants
Patrick,
Here's hoping that you are faring well. I recall you asking me about a funding source for Garland Farms now that
it is listed on the National registry.
I'd suggest you look at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and at the bottom of the home page
(www.imls.gov) look for a grants search box and type in gardening and you will find that they have given awards
to various arboretums and other horticultural ventures. Let me know if you'd like to pursue this and perhaps I can
give a hand.
Been very busy with Mr. Dorr: two days at the Mass Hist Soc, Middlebury College pursuing the relationship with
Julia C.R. Dorr (that is, none), and a day visiting the Dorr homestead in Lenox with landscape architect/historian
Cornelia Gilder (do you know her?). Again, work that is focused on the early years before the establishment of the
Trustees.
We've got another Spirit of Acadia meeting scheduled for December 13th at 1:00. Do you think you can make it?
Keep in touch.
Ron
Ronald H. Epp Ph.D.
University Library Director &
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH 03106
603-668-2211 x2164
r.epp@snhu.edu
From: MossKing@aol.com [mailto:MossKing@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 9:50 AM
To: Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: Spirit of Acadia Committee Meeting
Dear Ron,
Thanks for the Beinecke collections tip. I haven't had a chance to venture far in search of Farrand-connected documents. I
hope we can interest some volunteer researchers to ferret out and collect related documents for inclusion in the Garland Farm
archives.
Great news arrived last Friday: Garland Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 19th. I hope
that will help convince local and summer residents of it's significance in the landscape historic scheme of things. Now all we
need is more money to pull the place back together and get library, archives, and programs up and running. Any ideas for
likely sources??
Don't be discouraged by Gardner archivist's distanced approach. She's only recently been made full time, and the backlog of
work and demand for research access far exceeds both her time and the space available. You'll appreciate that more when you
11/26/2005
Page 2 of 2
get your appointment to visit. I have to stand in line for access there too. Please let me know when you are scheduled to visit
ISGM. I'd love to see you if I'm in town. Perhaps a lunch break during research would be an efficient time to catch up.
I've made you a copy of the Mt. Desert Nursery catalog, but it languishes in my Southwest Harbor studio. I'll mail it off when
I return to Mt. Desert Island in late November.
Off to London at week's end for two lectures--one on Beatrix Farrand at the Architectural Association.
Ciao for now.
Patrick
Patrick Chassé, ASLA
PO Box 118, Mt. Desert, ME 04660 tel.(voice/fax) 207-244-0700
+ One Fitchburg St., B-451, Somerville, MA 02143
tel. 617-629-7736, fax 617-628-9238
11/26/2005
Page 1 of 1
Epp, Ronald
From:
MossKing@aol.com
Sent:
Monday, July 11, 2005 2:35 PM
To:
Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: MDI odds and Ends
Hi Ron,
I very much enjoyed your talk at COA, and left the next morning for Boston--and Italy. Got back late last night and the
brain is still back there somewhere--still not quite meshing.
Your "eureka" moment with the Old Farm Beatrix Jones and John Gardner entries is terrific. There is little in the archives
at the Gardner as Isabella asked that personal correspondence be destroyed after her death--she asked friends to do this
too. Most surviving correspondence, I believe, is in other collections like the Mass Historical Society. There is now a full
time archivist at the Gardner: Kristin Parker [KParker@isgm.org] Richard is the Assistant Curator of collections and has
any books under his protection, but is not a proper "librarian." Please keep me posted on your discoveries.
I won't be coming back to MDI for a spell until August 4--to prepare for the Farrand Society annual meeting on the 6th.
Things look pretty hectic for me then. How about later in August??
Ciao,
Patrick
7/11/2005
Page 1 of 1
Epp, Ronald
From:
MossKing@aol.com
Sent:
Saturday, May 28, 2005 10:07 AM
To:
Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: Spirit of Acadia Calendar
Dear Ron,
I understand completely about the pain of overextension and not enough lifetimes to do everything one would want. I'm in
the same boat, as you know. Please forward said materials when they come up on the task list and I will plug them in to
my task list
I am scheduled to be "on Island" the weekend of the 13th of August and would be happy to say a very few words about
Beatrix Farrand's contributions. Just let me know how you would like this to fit in, perhaps after you and Alice have a
better idea of the other pieces of the puzzle.
With a hoped for stroke of luck, I may be in Italy for 5 or 6 days when you are due to visit the Island with Mrs. Epp.
A
friend is renting one of the Medici villas outside Florence and has invited me to come and stay. I think it's a unique
opportunity for me, so I'm trying desperately to make it work and not be noticed in Maine as "missing in action."
Otherwise I'm supposed to be at the Gardner the week of the 4th, so I'll not be in Maine to greet you.
Keep that nose to the grindstone. At least you're not having to deal with planting landscapes in a monsoon. Indoor work is
more controllable, contributing to your prodigious output.
Regards from the front,
Patrick
Patrick Chassé, ASLA
Please note recent address modifications (in bold type):
Boston area mail:
1 Fitchburg St. B-451
Somerville, MA 02143-2123
Phone: (617) 629-7736
Fax: (617) 628-9238
Maine mail:
Box 118
Mt. Desert, ME 04660
Studio (voice/fax); (207) 288-2415
Home: (207) 479-5671
5/30/2005
Page 1 of 1
Epp, Ronald
From:
MossKing@aol.com
Sent:
Monday, March 28, 2005 5:17 PM
To:
Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: Mr. Dorr, COA, and Spirit of Acadia
Dear Ron,
9 A.M. is fine on the 18th. Coffee and tea still available. As our field will still be too mushy, we can only accommodate
about 3 cars besides mine in the driveway (without barricading in the Cape tenants). We've been requesting guests to
park along adjacent Bayview Drive and walking down to the Farm. I can send out directions again, once the participant list
is firmed up--if you think that would be helpful.
I
did a fair amount of research in the Rockefeller archives in Tarrytown when I was researching Beatrix Farrand and her
role in creation of the garden with the JDR.Jr's. Wonderful complementary documents that dovetailed nicely with
Farrand's papers. Terrific resource, as you know.
I look forward to seeing the collected Dorr images on the CD. The video project sounds invigorating in terms of giving all
your research a publicly accessible form.
Regards from mud season on MDI.
Cheers,
Patrick
3/29/2005
Message
Page 1 of 2
Epp, Ronald
From:
Epp, Ronald
Sent:
Monday, March 28, 2005 11:16 AM
To:
'MossKing@aol.com'
Subject: RE: Mr. Dorr, COA, and Spirit of Acadia
Dear Patrick,
I appreciate your offer to host our Spirit of Acadia Media meeting on the 18th. Shall we say 9 a.m. to allow you enough
time for your departure by noon? I'll contact the other Committee members with this time and place which can be altered
if
9 a.m. is too early.
I've put together a list of proposed Summer-Fall 2005 Spirit of Acadia activities with dates (when known) and sponsoring
organization. I'll distrivbute this to the Media Committee well in advance of the meeting so we can be very specific about
what additional content is needed and to whom the media information should be targetted.
Let me know what comes of your meeting with the COA folk. You should know that I now have a set of nearly fifty images
that Brooke has gathered from the Acadia Archives and the Harpers Ferry Historical Collection. I can have her duplicate
this CD for you and the COA folks but we need to attach to each image identifying text and also shape these images into
some coherent storyline. I'll work on that as I prepare the script for the Dobbs film.
Have you ever accessed the Rockefeller Archive Center regarding Beatrix Farrand and her MDI experience? I think I have
a listing of all the correspondence between FDR Jr. and Farrand in case you are interested. Let me know. Hold onto the
Wild Gardens of Acadia documents until I see you in mid-April, please.
Original Message
From: MossKing@aol.com [mailto:MossKing@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 10:44 AM
To: Epp, Ronald
Cc: mdihistory@gwi.net
Subject: Re: Mr. Dorr, COA, and Spirit of Acadia
Hi Ron,
My focus (or foci) are indeed aimed in many compelling directions. I am not on MDI much more than you are these
days, making connections and duties difficult and somewhat frustrating. Too many good causes and too little time.
As my accountant reminds me every year at tax time, more than 50% of my professional work time is currently pro
bono, and that makes further generosity difficult to work in.
As I am not "on base" as a local resident a significant amount of the time, my hope was that I could provide some
spearhead concept and groundwork to advance the big Spirit of Acadia project this year. Website seemed like a
major bang-for-the-buck target for attention, and I was thrilled that COA acquiesced in host and help build the
website. I hope to contact or meet with a web person at COA next week, when I am on MDI, and see how they
hope to flesh this thing out. I though that I could serve as an interim e-depository for gathered digitized images and
text, as a base for materials that can be quickly pasted into the website structure. Your articulate passion for
George Dorr, and his comrades, make you the natural for writing or selecting the narrative material.
I could meet in the morning of April 18 for a website content strategy session, but am leaving to return to Boston at
noon. The 19th is a Gardner day for me in the nine lives I am currently attempting to live, so I will not be able to
make the Spirit of Acadia MegaMeeting. I could again offer Garland Farm as a venue for a small meeting (on the
18th), complete with coffee and tea.
Great news about the Jeff Dobbs effort. I agree wholeheartedly that much of the information pulled together for
various projects could also be featured in the website. In fact, the website would be an appropriate location for
cumulative deposition of all the many faces and facts and activities of the Spirit of Acadia--especially if the Park is
3/28/2005
Message
Page 2 of 2
disinclined to get us involved in their website.
I still have those Wildgardens of Acadia papers you sent. Should I keep them until we meet (on the 18th) or should
I send them back to you?
Regards from a balmy Boston.
Cheers,
Patrick
3/28/2005
Message
Page 1 of 2
Epp, Ronald
From:
Epp, Ronald
Sent:
Thursday, February 03, 2005 1:49 PM
To:
"MossKing@aol.com"
Subject: RE: Dorr Celebration Meeting
Patrick,
Good to hear from you. Sorry to hear you had problems opening my emails. I've put a paper copy in the mail for you
which should arrive in a few days. They were sent originally as Word attachments.
I hope a subcommittee meeting can take place in several weeks as Charlotte is trying to arrange. Whether I can make it is
doubtful due to a rescheduled University Retreat at a time not yet determined.
Wonderful news about your meeting with the COA folks. Do let me know how that progresses.
Good news that you've set up a Dorr "AOL" account. Did you mean to spell his name "Door" rather than "Dorr"?
I've spent several days recently at the Massachusetts Historical Society mining the Thomas Wren Ward Papers that were
gifted to the MHS by the Dorr Trustees containing hundreds of original documents from his maternal ancestors, most
transcribed by GBD; and I hit a magnificent find at the New England Historic and Genealogical Society where Dorr
deposited his extensive documentation of his paternal ancestry. This discovery has been enormously helpful in expanding
my underrstanding of the early influences on his life and values. To date no one has recognized the extent to which he
historically traced his ancestry and documented the culture of earlier generations! Alice Long has also been doing some
local legwork for me in tracking down financial information on Mr. Dorr at the B.H. Town Hall.
I need to return to you a collection of documents you lent me in December. Will bring that along when I visit next time.
If
you would like to peruse my file on Beatrix Farrand to see whether I have any documents that you lack, let me know and
I'll bring it to MDI when we both can get together.
Finally, you will shortly receive some good news from me about the FOA involvement in our efforts. Keep in touch!!
Ron
Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D.
Director of Shapiro Library
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH 03106
603-668-2211, ext. 2164
603-645-9685 fax
Original Message
From: MossKing@aol.com mailto:MossKing@aol.com)
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 6:37 PM
To: Epp, Ronald
Cc: mdihistory@gwi.net
2/3/2005
Message
Page 2 of 2
Subject: Re: Dorr Celebration Meeting
Dear Ronald,
I too can't make the February 7th meeting, as I will be mired in Boston. The very end of the month doesn't work for
me either, as I will be in Virginia to present a lecture at a garden symposium. My only window in Maine this month
is February 17 to 22. Could a meeting then work, even for a subset of committee??
Your forwarded minutes of a couple of weeks ago came through as a folder, but the individual documents are
undiscipherable by my computer. Could they be sent in Word format, or something that Acrobat Reader can open?
I
am meeting with COA computer and other program people on February 21 to explore a Dorr website and other
possible program connections there. In the meantime, I have set up "GeorgeBDoor@aol.com" under my existing
account, in case we need to attach a temporary or prototype website to that account. At least no one else can grab
that address. "GeorgeDorr@aol.com" was already taken!!
All for now.
Cheers,
Patrick
2/3/2005
Message
Page 1 of 2
Epp, Ronald
From:
Epp, Ronald
Sent:
Thursday, November 11, 2004 9:50 AM
To:
'MossKing@aol.com'
Subject: Mrs. Farrand & G.B. Dorr
Patrick,
Hope you have been well and I look forward to seeing you next week.
Yesterday I was re-reading Beatrix Farrand's 1917 essay in Scribner's Magazine titled "The National Park on Mount
Desert Island." Are you familiar with this piece? I noticed some conspicuous similarities in her choice of words and
phrases which were very "Dorr-ish." Not to suggest that they collaborated , especially since she concludes the essay with
several hundred words of praise for the creation of the park and Mr. Dorr. It certainly made me reflect anew on the nature
of their relationship which I'd like to talk with you about on some visit next year.
If you haven't seen this piece do let me know by tomorrow and I'll bring along a copy when I head north on Sunday.
Most cordially,
Ron
Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D.
Director of Shapiro Library
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH 03106
603-668-2211, ext. 2164
603-645-9685 fax
Original Message
From: MossKing@aol.com [mailto:MossKing@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 9:27 AM
To: Epp, Ronald
Subject: Door Pictures: 1 of 2
Dear Ronald,
I finally found my slides of Dorr!!! Attached please find the swimming picture. I have a more detailed version that is
too big to transfer over e-mail. If you zoom in, you can see the characteristic moustache and identify Mr. Door. I
can send the higher resolution versions of both pictures on a disk, if you like.
Under separate e-mail, please find the Dorr/Eliot/Sequoia 1919 picture.
With best regards from a beautifully autumnal island.
Cordially,
11/11/2004
Beatrix Farrand & Garland Farm
Beatrix Farrand
A May of
Mr. DESERT ISLAND
TOEM
MAINE
WELLS
cove
Garland
TOWN
back
Harm
VETTER
POINT
-
****
OTTER
CHILK
Mom
-
1475
Page 1 of 1
Epp, Ronald
From: SaveGarlandFarm@aol.com
Sent:
Tuesday, October 07, 2003 9:35 AM
To:
Epp, Ronald
Subject: Re: B. Farrand & Mr. Dorr
Dear Professor Epp,
I was delighted to get your letter and learn of your research on George B. Dorr. Although most of my Mt.
Desert Island landscape research has been on Beatrix Farrand, I am very aware of Mr. Dorr's invaluable
contributions to Acadia National Park and Mt. Desert Island. I stumbled on the ruins of his former home ("Old
Farm"?) many years ago while exploring the woods around Compass Harbor, and subsequently learned more
about his nearby nursery. I am very much interested in hearing more of your research, and in helping in any
way I can to fill in possible gaps in your Dorr background or chronology here.
While working on the initial landscape restoration proposal for "The Mount," Edith Wharton's home in the
Berkshires, as it was being readied for National Historic Site status and restoration, I came across several
references to Mrs. Whartons correspondence with Mr. Dorr regarding flower varieties for her garden there. I
recall that he may have visited "The Mount" to consult on native plants and the gardens. Mrs. Wharton was
Beatrix Farrand's aunt, and visited Bar Harbor, where she may have met Mr. Dorr and known his nursery.
We have raised 90% of the funds to purchase Garland Farm and are negotiating a purchase and sale
agreement for an early December sale. We hope that Garland Farm--and the Beatrix Farrand Society-- will
become a center of information and research regarding Mrs. Farrand and Mt. Desert Island designed
landscapes. George Dorr is certainly an important part of the Island's landscape legacy and we would
welcome the inclusion of information and connections for his life and work.
Our 501(c)(3) IRS tax-deductible status has come through in record time, so we are now able to collect gifts
toward the Save Garland Farm project directly. Our address is
The Beatrix Farrand Society
P.O. Box 111
mt. Desert, ME 04660
Thank you so much for your letter. I will put you on our "update" list for progress reports on garland Farm.
Cordially,
Patrick Chasse, ASLA
10/7/2003
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE, ORONO
37550015377311
HE ABBY ALDRICH
ROCKEFELLER
GARDEN
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