Hildene

Today was crazy at the gardens with preparations for our VIP visitors attending the All-America Selections / National Garden Bureau Summer Summit.  While I did take some photos, I wanted to share a neat destination I visited this past Monday in Vermont.

As seen on the sign above, Hildene was the Manchester, VT estate of Robert Todd Lincoln.  Situated on 412 acres, the Georgian Revival mansion was built in 1905 and overlooks the scenic Battenkill Valley.  Robert Todd Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary to reach adulthood, became Chairman of the Pullman Company and Hildene became a summer home.  In fact, Lincoln decendants lived here until 1975.  Hildene is Old English for “hill, valley and stream”.  I enjoyed the formal garden, nature trails and certainly the cutting and vegetable gardens as well.  Hildene is on the National Register for Historic Places and is a 501(c)3 non-profit.  See www.hildene.org/about/history.html for more information on this interesting estate.

Not part of Hildene but an interesting “Jacks” like structure of fire hydrants seen on my trip