William Bartram (1739-1823) by Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827)
Bartram’s Garden is the oldest surviving botanic garden in the United States. John Bartram (1699-1777), the well-known early American botanist, explorer, & plant collector founded the garden in September 1728, when he purchased a 102-acre farm in Kingsessing Township, Philadelphia County.
John Bartram’s garden began as a personal landscape, but with a lifelong devotion to plants grew to become a systematic collection as he devoted more time to exploration & the discovery of new North American species & examples. Its evolution over time both reflected & fostered Bartram’s vital scientific achievements & important intellectual exchange. Although not the first botanic collection in North America, by the middle of 18C Bartram’s Garden contained the most varied collection of North American plants in the world, & placed John Bartram at the center of a lucrative business centered on the transatlantic transfer of plants.
Following the American Revolution, Bartram’s sons John Bartram, Jr. (1743–1812) & William Bartram (1739–1823), continued the international trade in plants & expanded the family’s botanic garden & nursery business. Following his father’s lead, William became an important naturalist, artist, & author in his own right, & under his influence the garden became an educational center that aided in training a new generation of natural scientists & explorers. William’s Travels, published in 1791, chronicled his own exploration efforts & remains a milestone in American literature.
After 1812, Ann Bartram Carr (1779-1858), a daughter of John Bartram, Jr., maintained the family garden & business with her husband Colonel Robert Carr (1778-1866) & his son John Bartram Carr (1804-1839). Their commercial activities remained focused on international trade in native North American plants, although domestic demand also grew under their management, In 1850, financial difficulties led to the historic garden’s sale outside the family to Andrew M. Eastwick (1811–1879), who preserved it as a private park for his estate.
Historic American Landscapes Survey - John Bartram House and Garden by Joel T. Fry
