Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of Longwood Gardens.
On this page
Farm, arboretum and public garden
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1700
The Peirce farm
The Quaker farmer George Peirce buys 402 acres from William Penn’s commissioners.
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1798
An arboretum
The twins Samuel and Joshua Peirce begin planting an arboretum.
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20 July 1906
Pierre S. du Pont buys the farm
Du Pont buys the farm, mainly to save its trees from being felled.
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1914
The Open Air Theatre
The Open Air Theatre is added to the gardens.
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1921
The Conservatory
The great Conservatory opens.
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1925–1927
The Italian Water Garden
The Italian Water Garden is built.
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1929
Tower and organ
The Chimes Tower is built, and du Pont orders the Aeolian organ.
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1931
The Main Fountain Garden
The Main Fountain Garden makes its debut.
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1937
The Longwood Foundation
Du Pont creates the foundation that cares for the gardens.
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2017
Fountains restored
The Main Fountain Garden reopens on 27 May after restoration.
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November 2024
Longwood Reimagined
The West Conservatory opens.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
- Wikipedia: Longwood Gardens
- Wikipedia: Pierre S. du Pont
- Longwood Gardens: Visit, hours and ticket pricing
Links lead to the original publishers.