Maymont Park
Encyclopedia
Maymont is a 100 acre Victorian
estate located at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, Virginia
. It contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum
, formal garden
s, a carriage
collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and petting zoo
known as "The Maymont Children's Farm".
In 1893, Major James H. Dooley
, a wealthy Richmond lawyer
and philanthropist
, and his wife, Sallie, completed their elaborate Gilded Age
estate on a site high above the James River
. According to their wishes, after their deaths Maymont was left to the people of Richmond. Over the next 75 years, additional attractions were added.
Construction began in 1890, with the mansion completed in 1893.
In 1913, the Dooley's built a "cottage" in Nelson County, Swannanoa
, where they would spend their summers.
The Dooley Noted Society is the young professional group that supports Maymont through cultivation of volunteer, social and fund raising activities.
ese gardens located at Maymont are well tended and cared for and consist of a koi
pond as well as a large waterfall
coming down from the terrace. There is an extensive rose garden ending in a large waterfall located on a terrace below the manor. The roses are partially shaded by a wisteria
covered pergola. Bamboo forests are a great spectacle in the Gardens
The arboretum dates from the early 20th century, and contains more than 200 species of trees and woody plants. It includes a number of "exotic champions" including a Cedrus atlantica, Cryptomeria
japonica, Parrotia persica, and Tilia
europea.
Maymont's gardens are popular for outdoor weddings focused around the Italian garden, the Japanese gardens, the waterfalls, or other numerous gazebos located throughout the grounds.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
estate located at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. It contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, formal garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, a carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and petting zoo
Petting zoo
A petting zoo features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo...
known as "The Maymont Children's Farm".
In 1893, Major James H. Dooley
James H. Dooley
James Henry Dooley was a Virginia lawyer, business leader, and philanthropist based in Richmond during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age.-Biography:...
, a wealthy Richmond lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, and his wife, Sallie, completed their elaborate Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
estate on a site high above the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. According to their wishes, after their deaths Maymont was left to the people of Richmond. Over the next 75 years, additional attractions were added.
History
Maymont was named for the Major Dooley's wife, Sallie May.Construction began in 1890, with the mansion completed in 1893.
In 1913, the Dooley's built a "cottage" in Nelson County, Swannanoa
Swannanoa (mansion)
Swannanoa is an Italianate villa built in 1912 by millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley above Rockfish Gap in northern Nelson County, Virginia, USA...
, where they would spend their summers.
The Dooley Noted Society is the young professional group that supports Maymont through cultivation of volunteer, social and fund raising activities.
The gardens
The JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese gardens located at Maymont are well tended and cared for and consist of a koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
pond as well as a large waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
coming down from the terrace. There is an extensive rose garden ending in a large waterfall located on a terrace below the manor. The roses are partially shaded by a wisteria
Wisteria
Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...
covered pergola. Bamboo forests are a great spectacle in the Gardens
The arboretum dates from the early 20th century, and contains more than 200 species of trees and woody plants. It includes a number of "exotic champions" including a Cedrus atlantica, Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
japonica, Parrotia persica, and Tilia
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
europea.
Maymont's gardens are popular for outdoor weddings focused around the Italian garden, the Japanese gardens, the waterfalls, or other numerous gazebos located throughout the grounds.