Historic Foodways and the Food Growing Future

The Learning Orchard is just past the next intersection, in a fenced-in area between the cemetery and Woodland Avenue.

This one-acre demonstration orchard in the northwest quadrant of The Woodlands along Woodland Ave will feature a food forest of over 60 fruit and nut trees, berry gardens, and pollinator gardens. It will serve to educate POP community orchard partners from across the city, as well as the general public, about best practices in ecological orchard care.

The site will eventually also feature an edible plant nursery and a high tunnel greenhouse… but there’s more!

POP also plans to use this space, beginning this spring, to grow annual crops for donation to emergency food services to help alleviate increasing food insecurity during the current pandemic.

Stop by to see the progress of this new edible landscape throughout the year!

Across from the Learning Orchard, on the other side of the running path, you can see several young trees, including serviceberries and crab apples..

In spring 2019, The Woodlands and the Philadelphia Orchard Project partnered to plant native trees and shrubs around the perimeter of future POP Learning Orchard space. Serviceberries (Amelanchier), Crab apples (Malus), Redbuds (Cercis), Witchhazels (Hammemelis), and a Sugar Maple (Acer saccarhum) were planted along the running path to help divide the orchard space from the active cemetery. Additional Paw paws (Asimina), Serviceberries (Amelanchier), Dogwoods (Cornus florida), Inkberries (Ilex), Chokeberries (Aronia), and Blueberries (Vaccinium) were planted along the Woodland Ave fenceline.  

The Juneberry (Amelanchier) is a beautiful native tree known by a variety of names including serviceberry, shadberry, and Saskatoon. Juneberries are commonly planted as street and park trees throughout Philadelphia because of their attractive spring flowers, fall color, and compact size. There are many different species, generally ranging in height from 16 to 32 feet with a few smaller shrub-like species. Juneberries have slender limbs, and scaly bark ranging in color from gray to brown. White, five-petaled flowers bloom in April or May at the same time that leaves begin to emerge and are soon followed by delicious, blueberry-like fruit in late May or early June.

Juneberry fruit are tasty straight off the tree and seeds can also be eaten and have an almond-like flavor. Recipes abound, from pies and jams, to muffins, sauce, pudding, and juneberry crisp. For the past several years, POP has organized an annual week-long Juneberry Joy campaign introducing this abundant and often overlooked city fruit to residents through volunteer harvesting events and partnerships with local businesses. 

For the next segment of the tour, we'll head towards the Stable. Return to the road and turn right.

Walk south along the road until you reach the Stable, then turn right. On the opposite side of the Stable is the Woodlands Community Garden.

The Woodlands Community Garden was founded in the summer of 2009 by a group of West Philadelphia friends and neighbors. With the help of our friends at  UC Green , a Community Garden with 19 plots and over 40 gardeners took root at The Woodlands. Today, the Community Garden is a highlight of the site, bringing a small but mighty community together to grow food, create beauty and cultivate relationships that extend far past the growing season. You can enjoy the Community Garden all year at the two picnic tables next to the garden plots, but our favorite time is later in the summer when you may catch sight of a 10’ sunflower. 

Many people don’t know about the history of The Woodlands before it was a cemetery, but our early years are a crucial part of The Woodlands’ story.

The Woodlands was the estate of William Hamilton from 1745 until his death in 1813, and the estate was 600 acres at its largest point. Bounded by the Schuylkill River to the south and east, Mill Creek to the west, and extending past what is now Market Street in the north, the estate covered a significant portion of present day West Philadelphia - including three other POP orchards!

Hamilton’s Mansion (1770-1789) is the southernmost building on the grounds, and was the first Federalist Style building constructed in the US.

The Stable which you see in front of you was completed in 1789 and was designed to complement the architectural style of the Mansion.

Behind the Stable was a large garden, which supplied Hamilton's kitchen with all manner of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

The Mansion and Stable are two thirds of a historic trio, which included Hamilton’s Greenhouse.

This greenhouse was not a small hobbyist structure designed simply for overwintering plants, but the infrastructure for one of the most important horticultural sites in the country at the turn of the 19th century. In addition to a 90 acre English-style pleasure garden, the greenhouse was larger than the mansion and included a central greenhouse with two hothouses, one on each end. It contained almost 10,000 plant specimens and was used for everything from growing exotic fruits and flowers, to propagating seeds collected by Lewis and Clark on their expedition across the country. We don’t have any photographs or drawings of Hamilton’s greenhouse, but the image shown here is of the Elgin Greenhouse, which was built in New York, and modelled after Hamilton’s greenhouse. Thankfully, we do have maps that show approximately where it would have stood, and written records about the greenhouse from people who visited The Woodlands.

Excerpt from: Oliver Oldschool, Esq., "American Scenery--for the Port Folio, 'The Woodlands'" Port Folio, n. s.,vol. 2, no.6 (December 1809), pp. 504-507.

…..Ascending thence, towards the western side of the mansion, the green-house presents itself to view, and displays to the observer a scene, that which nothing that has preceded it can excite more admiration. The front, including the hot-house on each side, measures one hundred and forty feet, and it contains nearly ten thousand plants, out of which number may be reckoned between five and six thousand of different species, procured at much trouble and expense, from many remote parts of the globe, from South America, the Cape of Good Hope, the Brazils, Botany Bay, Japan, the East and West Indies, &c,&c. This collection, for the beauty and rich variety of its exotics, surpasses any thing of the kind on this continent; and, among many other rare productions to be seen, are the bread-fruit tree, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, mangoes, different sorts, sago, coffee from Bengal, Arabia, and the West-Indies, tea, green and bohea, mahogany, magnolias, Japan rose, rose apples, cherimolia, one of the most esteemed fruits of Mexico, bamboo, Indian god tree, iron tree of China, ginger, olea fragrans, and several varieties of the sugar cane, five species of which are from Otaheite. To this green-house, so richly stored, too much praise can hardly be given. The curious person views it with delight, and the naturalist quits it with regret.

The greenhouse enabled Hamilton to collect plants from all over the world, many of which were introduced to the US for the first time at The Woodlands. Some of these species include the blue hydrangea, red china rose, and ginkgo tree. You’ll be able to visit and learn more about ginkgo trees later on this tour, but unfortunately the greenhouse no longer stands. Greenhouses are difficult structures to maintain, and by 1854 The Woodlands Cemetery Company (founded in 1840) no longer had a need for a building designed for plant production. The area where the greenhouse once stood is now called the Carriage Shed, and it is a unique space, used for events and programs, site management, and archaeology all at once. You can learn more about  Hamilton’s historic landscape on our website , and stay tuned for future greenhouse archaeology projects.

Much of the food produced for The Woodlands Estate was grown in the greenhouse and in the Kitchen Garden. The garden no longer exists today, but would have been in the grassy area beyond the stable in what is now the Section K area of the cemetery. Thanks to a list of William Hamilton Era plantings, we know that some of the food he was growing on site included: cardamom, ceylon spinach, cabbage, melons, squash, guava, sweet and thai basil, and dutch eggplant. Some of these fruits and vegetables would have been familiar to Philadelphians in the late 1700’s, but for many, these ingredients would have been new and exciting. Imported plants like ceylon spinach and guava would have needed a little help from the greenhouse to recreate their native tropical environment. This plant list is a testament to how far internationally Hamilton’s botanical connections stretched, and how his kitchen garden had an impact on the way we eat today.

Now we will visit several fruit trees across the grounds of the cemetery. Return to the road and head south towards the Hamilton Mansion. This stretch of road is lined by several black walnut trees.

Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra) is a perennial, stone fruit tree native to Pennsylvania. A half dozen Black Walnuts of varying sizes can be found at The Woodlands. Trees feature compound leaves and can grow very large, eventually reaching over 100’ in height and 6’ in diameter. Black walnut trees are allelopathic, suppressing growth of many other plant species by releasing a chemical called juglone.

Technically the walnut produces a fruit called a “drupe” and is not a true nut! The drupes are harvested in the fall, dehulled and dried to allow the nut meat to cure for consumption. Gloves and special equipment are needed to crack the tough casing. Black walnut trees have numerous uses, including: nutritional, medicinal, dye, structural/decorative, antibacterial, and herbicidal. 

 Learn more about Black Walnuts here. 

Continue past the Mansion, taking the road to your right.

On the other side of the Drexel Mausoleum, you will see a lot surrounded by an iron fence. Follow the brick path running along side this lot. You should see a smaller mausoleum engraved with the name "Brice." Behind and to the left of this mausoleum is a persimmon tree, and there is another just past the end of this path.

Native to Pennsylvania, the American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is a large tree, growing 30-50 feet tall. The trees feature glossy oval leaves and older growth has distinctive, scaly bark resembling alligator skin. Except for a few self-fertile cultivars, American Persimmons require a separate male and female tree for pollination (only female trees bear fruit).

Unremarkable flowers in summer are followed by small (generally 1” to 2”) fruit that ripens to orange in late fall. American Persimmons ripen and drop their fruit over a long period of time from October through December and they are notoriously astringent and inedible until fully ripe and soft.

Persimmons can be eaten fresh, dried, and cooked. Dried persimmon fruits are popular in Japan and often used in cookies, cakes, muffins, puddings, salads and as a topping in breakfast cereal.

 Learn more about the persimmon tree here. 

Next are the mulberry trees. One is further along the path where you saw the first persimmon. The next is in Section C, a little further north. You can reach it by following the current path to its end, then turning left. The mulberry is just across the road from the end of the second path.

Despite their reputation as a weed tree, many people in both urban and rural environments have very fond childhood memories of mulberries! There are at least 15 mulberry trees at The Woodlands and many more in yards and parks throughout the city. Mulberries are generally irregularly shaped, bushy-headed trees, with trunks that often lean. Leaves are heart-shaped or lobed, with serrated edges and pointed tips. Tree size depends on the species – Black Mulberries (Morus nigra) are usually 20 to 30 feet, White Mulberries (Morus alba) are 30 to 50 feet in height and the native Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) can reach as high as 70 feet. Most mulberries seen in Philadelphia are interspecies hybrids.  

Fruits also vary in color, size, and ripening time. Confusingly, the color of the fruit does not reliably identify the species; White Mulberries can have white, lavender, or black fruit; Red Mulberries are deep red to almost black, and Black Mulberries are usually large, dark, and juicy. Berries tend to resemble raspberries and blackberries in form, though they are generally longer and narrower. Mulberries ripen in late spring, usually early to mid June in Philadelphia. Mulberries are actually the sweetest of all fruit! Fruits can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be made into wine, cordials, jams, tarts, cobblers, or tossed onto oatmeal or cooked into pancakes. Fruits can also be dried, and made into fruit leather if combined with other, more fibrous fruit. 

 You can find more information about these plucky trees on POPs website.  

After checking out the mulberry trees, return to the Hamilton mansion. This time, take the road to the east. Look out on your right for the gravesite of Henry Maule.

with images from his seed catalogues

Henry Maule was born in Philadelphia in 1828. Early in his career he took over his father’s Lumber and Seed Company, and eventually shifted the focus to seeds. In 1885, Maule took advantage of Philadelphia’s status as one of the most advanced centers for printing in America, and printed the company’s first seed catalogue.

Using bright colors and detailed illustrations, Maule began to market his inventory to home and hobbyist gardeners instead of exclusively to plant dealers.

His business took off thanks to his philosophy that anyone with a mailbox could become a life-long customer (the free samples and cash prizes for largest order didn’t hurt either). Maule’s Seed Company continued to grow and expand into larger and larger warehouses in Center City Philadelphia.

Maule died on April 3, 1902 and was buried here at The Woodlands.

 You can learn more about Maule’s Seed Company in Center City here with Hidden City Philadelphia. 

 More images of his see catalogues can be found here. 

We're nearing the end of our tour, but we have two more stops as we make our way back to the front gates. Across from the mansion, you will see three brick paths - take the middle one. This is the Center Path, which runs through sections F an I, providing a direct route from the Cret Gates to the Hamilton Mansion.

About a third of the way up the path, just past the Riddle monument on your left, you will see a female Ginkgo tree.

Recognized by their unique, fan-shaped leaves, the Ginkgo biloba is a common tree in Philadelphia. You've probably seen them lining Spruce Street in Center City, but did you know the first Ginkgo trees were introduced to the United States by The Woodlands’ own William Hamilton?

Native to China, Ginkgo biloba trees are one of the oldest plants on earth and are considered ancient living fossils. In late fall, female ginkgos drop fruit that is notorious for its terrible smell. The fruit also contains urushiol, the active irritating chemical in poison ivy. If you can get past these notable deterrents, the fruits contain a nut-like seed that are tasty, nutritious, and plentiful! 

In 1785, Hamilton sent three of these trees to The Woodlands, planting two in his own garden and gifting the third to his friend down river, William Bartram. The original specimens planted at The Woodlands are no longer alive, but the tradition continues with over 20 ginkgos in varying sizes spread throughout the grounds. You can still find the original gifted ginkgo at Bartram’s Garden today - it’s the oldest ginkgo tree in the country.

Continue following the center path until you reach the road dividing sections F and I. To your left will be a sassafras grove, the final stop on our tour.

Sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum) are a beautiful native species easily recognizable by having three different leaf shapes. You’ll find three lobed, mitten shaped, and oval leaves all on the same tree! Sassafras are medium sized trees, reaching up to 50 feet in height, with smooth reddish brown bark and leaves turning orange in fall. All parts of the tree are deeply fragrant.  

While admiring the beauty of this grove of Sassafras trees, we can also marvel at their diverse historic culinary uses. Sassafras roots were traditionally the primary flavoring component of root beer and both roots and twigs can be used for making tea and other beverages. Dried, ground Sassafras leaves are also known as filé powder, a key ingredient in gumbo and other creole recipes. In addition to culinary uses, many Native American tribes employed Sassafras for a variety of medicinal applications.

Read more about sassafras on Wikipedia:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_albidum 

To return to the front gates, double back and cross the road into Section I. The center path continues downhill to a point just east of the Cret Gates.