The mansion that was built in the colonial period by Captain Nathaniel Shaw, Sr, once stood on waterfront property. The edge of the Thames River had not been filled in and ships could easily be spotted from the house and grounds. Today it is possible to get a sense of what the view was once like from the summer house at the top of rise behind the mansion.
Any gardens that were around the original building and out buildings would have to be suited to a seaside climate. The water moderates temperatures in both winter and summer but also fog, drizzle, and rain driven by wind can all be laden with salt from the nearby river and sound. The lay of the land would have been another factor influencing a garden. Did rocks and bare ledges predominate or was there adequate soil suitable for growing flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees? We do not have the answer to this question.
Because the Shaws were a prominent and wealthy family they no doubt had land elsewhere for growing food crops. Did the Shaw ladies of colonial times take an interest in ornamental flower gardens? Another question we cannot answer.
Certainly we do know that people did keep ornamental gardens in the second half of the eighteenth century. At least a few were attempting to extend the season with glass houses and some were very interested in exotic new species brought in from western parts of North America as well as from Europe.
The gardens that are on the grounds of the Shaw Mansion today reflect the style common to colonial period gardens. Paired beds lie on either side of a path which extends in a straight line from the front and back doorways of the house. Two beds are paired on either side of a trellis. The garden also has a latticed well house, brick paths, picket fence, and a summer house. Colonial gardens tended to be symmetrical, to contain ornamental structures of various kinds, and to be enclosed. Along with ornamental flowers, many herbs were grown for their medicinal, insect-repelling, air freshening, food-flavoring, and cloth-dying properties.
Below is a partial list of plants in the Shaw Mansion gardens that could also have been found in late 18th and early 19th century gardens.
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Plants in this genus are poisonous. |
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thrift, sea pink |
Not an herb. Suited to seaside conditions. |
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butterfly weed, pleursy root |
A native milkweed Used by Native Americans and Europeans as an expectorant. |
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False indigo |
An herb known to Native American tribes, including the Mohican. A decoction made from the root was used for antiseptic purposes. |
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common pink |
An herb with various uses including in potpourris because of its fragrance and in a tonic to reduce fever. |
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purple coneflower |
An herb used by Native Americans to treat wounds. |
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cranesbill |
Geraniums contain tannins, making them useful as astringents. Some varieties native to America; others were brought from Europe. |
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Sweet Alyssum |
Not an herb |
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horehound |
An herb with a number of medicinal uses including as an expectorant, cough remedy, appetite stimulant, and digestive aid. |
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obedient plant |
Each snapdragon-like flower holds its position if bent to left or right, hence its name. |
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Jacob's ladder |
In 1756 John Hill wrote that "its virtues are unknown." It was likely grown by colonists for its pretty blue flowers, although the ancient Greeks had used it to treat dysentery and other ailments. |
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winter savory |
A culinary herb native to the Mediterranean, it was brought to North America by the colonists. |
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lamb's ear |
The woolly, mildly astringent leaves may have been used to dress wounds. |
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Stoke's aster |
Not an herb. Native from South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana. |
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common thyme |
An herb native to Europe and Asia, it would have been brought to North America for culinary use, for its aroma, and its many medicinal properties. |
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spiderwort |
A native plant, named after John Tradescant, father and son collectors of plants in the late 16th and 17th centuries. |
Sources: Rudy & Joy Favretti, Landscapes & Gardens for Historic Buildings; Deni Bown, Encyclopedia of Herbs; Talyor's Guide to Herbs; Pamela Harper & Frederick McGourty, Perennials; Colonial Dames, Herbs & Herb Lore of Colonial America