By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Photo/Melanie Petrucci
Shrewsbury – The gardens of the once majestic estate known as Juniper Hall, in what is now Prospect Park, are overgrown and obstruct a view of a pergola and stone walls that graced the once formal garden. They are the only remaining artifacts of the estate which was built in 1912 as the home of Matthew and Gertrude Whittall.
The Friends of Prospect Park are hoping to bring those gardens back to their glory. The group is seeking volunteers to join them on a Work Day to be held on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the site of the pergola. The initiative is being spearheaded by Master Gardener Brenda Goodwill who said she became interested in the site after a visit that was described as “magical.”
She contacted the Friends of the Prospect Park, a not-for-profit organization that maintains the grounds of the park, to get involved. The park is located between Prospect and Boylston Streets and accessed through its main entrance near the intersection of Spring and Prospect Streets.
“We are hoping for at least 25 volunteers to start the clean-up,” Goodwill said.
This isn’t the first attempt at reclaiming the gardens. Past attempts and inroads have been made but efforts have been compromised by events such as the ice storm of 2008 and lack of sufficient resources. The Friends’ exist by private donations and proceeds from a button battery recycling program.
“One of our goals was to do something with that historic garden to really make that an interesting destination for people,” stated Bill Davis, president of the Friends of Prospect Park. “The Whittalls were amateur horticulturalists.
“Matthew Whittall died in 1922 and in keeping with the terms of his will it was deeded over to the Grand Lodge of the Masons of Massachusetts with the intention that it be used in the relief of suffering. It later became a Masonic Nursing Home Hospital,” he added.
He said that in 1976 the town purchased 75 of the 100 acres of the property for $400,000. The mansion was demolished in 1979 but the pergola, named the “Garden of Sweet Remembrance” by Gertrude (who had it erected to commemorate her husband’s passing,) remains.
Davis encourages people to bring rakes, hand saws, loppers, hedge clippers, hand pruners, shovels, weed whackers, and any other tool they have to get the job done and perhaps share with others.
While the area has been treated for ticks and mosquitoes, volunteers are advised to wear clothes for working in thick brush, spray with DEET and bring water to drink.
The gate will be open and volunteers can drive right up to the area near where the pergola stands. There is ample parking.
For more information about the project, contact Goodwill at 412-337-0107 or [email protected].
For sign-up for the Prospect Park Work Day event, visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1520201924802250/
To make a donation to this cause, visit https://www.facebook.com/donate/664534304022400.
