WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Historic Gardens

Shelburne, Vermont - July 31, 2009

In the late 1800s, Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb had an audacious vision for the properties they scooped up along the shores of Lake Champlain: use their railroad fortune to develop a massive working farm estate that in its day was a model of its kind. The barns were like castles and the gardens their jewels.

The president of Shelburne Farms, Alec Webb beams, "I'm amazed and so excited to see it happening."

Webb is the great-grandson of Lila Webb. She would probably cringe to see the way her prized formal gardens have fallen victim to decades of erosion and poor drainage. A large portion even crumbled into Lake Champlain in the 1980s.

Until recently, the educational nonprofit that now runs Shelburne Farms could not afford a proper repair. "It was such a daunting task and we've had so many resource demands for endowment and annual support and program development that it got deferred. And now we have this wonderful opportunity," Webb explains.

An anonymous donor is matching gifts to restore the garden architecture to its early 1900s glory. It'll take about $1.5 million. Now, inside the Farms' breeding barn, where the Webb family once raised powerful horses, a team of conservators is focusing on much smaller subjects.

Conservator Angelyn Bass says, "It takes a lot of patience, but it's actually fun and interesting to do."

They're using syringes to fill cracks on concrete decorations dismantled from the garden. When smoothed over, water can't get in to freeze and thaw, blocking further damage.

But the new fixes on the old globes and pedestals would stand out like hundreds of sore thumbs, so the conservators camouflage their touches with paint and tiny flecks of stone. You can't even tell that some pieces have been re-done. "Most of the treatments we do are designed to last at least 100 years," Bass explains.

Some of the pieces are beyond repair. Their replacements will not be made in Vermont, instead, molded in a controlled lab in New York using laser scans of similar garden features. They'll be coupled with the locally-crafted designs and re-installed over the next two summers.

Architectural conservator Doug Porter says, "I don't expect ever to be on a landscape this beautiful with buildings this large or complicated anyplace else."

Shelburne Farms says the project ties in nicely with its mission to promote food products that are Made in Vermont. The garden should improve the experience of diners at the property's upscale restaurant that serves primarily local foods.

The complex and delicate efforts here at Shelburne Farms will return the lustre to one of Vermont's iconic treasures. Click here to learn more about the project.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont