NEWBURYPORT – The Museum of Old Newbury welcomes cultural landscape historian Lucinda Brockway to present a virtual program, “The Cushing House Garden: A Closer Look”, Thursday at 7 pm

Brockway is the Director of the Cultural Resources Program at The Trustees of Reservations, where she is responsible for 112 properties and 25,000 acres of the Massachusetts Cultural Landscape.

It’s not often that you come across a New England garden with such a rich and documented history spanning 137 years of a family’s occupation.

The Cushing Garden, as it has evolved over the years, was an integral part of family life, from its exotic blood peach tree and ancient roses to its arched garden seat where Margaret Cushing, the last occupant of the family, could examine decades of devotion and work, and seek solace. in this oasis – a stone’s throw from the bustling center of Newburyport.

This garden and this property represent a three-dimensional manual of the history of Newburyport. Here, apples and pears supplement the meager income of families in the 19th century.

Twenty-seven varieties of roses were introduced under pears in 1877. Lark’sfoot, phlox, iris and roses were added along narrow paths in 1897. Fences and summer houses were redesigned in 1934 for make them “more colonial”. In 1965 and again in 1995, the gardens were revitalized by volunteers.

This talk will explore this village garden and its horticultural details in the context of its other High Street neighbors.

Brockway is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Boston University. She ran her own business, Past Designs in Kennebunk, Maine, for 25 years before joining The Trustees.

His design work includes well-known public projects such as the Fort Ticonderoga Garrison Grounds in Ticonderoga, New York, the Bellevue Avenue Public and Private Estates in Newport, and several projects for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

She is the author of two books, “A Favorite Place of Resort for Strangers (Fort Ticonderoga 2001)” and Gardens of the New Republic (May 2004). She sits on the Board of Governors of the Decorative Arts Trust, the Mount Auburn Visiting Council and is an instructor at the National Preservation Institute.

His work has been recognized by the Garden Club of America, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Preservation League of New York State, and the Massachusetts Historic Commission.

To register for this program, visit the museum’s website at www.NewburyHistory.org and click on the calendar page. There will be a link to Eventbrite to book a ticket.

Anyone who makes a reservation will receive a Zoom link to the program. There is no charge for this program, although donations to the museum are gratefully accepted.