The area which is now known as Elizabeth Park was once owned by Charles H. Pond. Mr. Pond was a wealthy industrialist and statesman whose career included the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Hartford National Bank, and Treasurer of the State of Connecticut.
When Mr. Pond passed away, he willed his estate to the City of Hartford with the stipulations that it be used as a horticultural park and that it be named for his wife, Elizabeth, who had died a few years earlier.
In Mr. Pond's time, the Hartford/West Hartford border was located about a quarter mile west of where it is today. When the boundary was moved to its present location, it resulted in the unusual situation of one of Hartford's larger parks being situated mostly within the Town of West Hartford.
The City hired the landscape firm of Olmsted and Son to design the park and the park shows the trademark Olmsted vistas of overlooks above expanses of meadows, fields and water. The City hired Theodore Wirth as its first park superintendent to design the garden areas. Mr. Wirth's first project was to create a rose garden because, in his words, "it would please the people." This first planting grew from 100 bushes to the two and a half acre garden of some 15,000 bushes that is the center piece of Elizabeth Park and is known throughout the world.
Today the park encompasses 102 acres and boasts many garden areas, pathways, greenhouses, lawns, a picnic grove, a pond and recreation areas.
Come along for some holiday fun in support of the Elizabeth Park Conservancy! Join us for a three-day immersion in dazzling holiday magic of the Newport Mansions in the city-by-the sea. Our home for two nights is the Newport Marriott where we will…
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Read More »Tulip Bulb Sale Sunday, June 18 Noon Until Sold Out Part of Rose Weekend, a celebration of America's Oldest Public Rose Garden Rose Weekend | June 16, 17 & 18 Click below for a full description of events, locations & times:…
Read More »Rose Weekend June 16, 17 & 18 America’s oldest public rose garden celebrates its 126th anniversary with free educational and family-friendly activities while showcasing the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden at the peak of its seasonal beauty.…
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