BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Scott Arboretum & Gardens - ECPv6.9.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.scottarboretum.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Scott Arboretum & Gardens
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Detroit
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20260322T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20260322T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T184421
CREATED:20251114T145105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260320T143857Z
UID:10001518-1774191600-1774198800@www.scottarboretum.org
SUMMARY:Winter Celebration: “A Garden Inferior to Few…” The Williamsburg Garden of John Custis IV
DESCRIPTION:Due to expected inclement weather affecting speaker travel\, Winter Celebration has been rescheduled to Sunday\, March 22.\nCelebrate America 250 with an exploration of sophisticated garden that is globally influenced but American in execution. \nJohn Custis IV is one of Williamsburg\, Virginia’s more colorful historic residents. In addition to being an influential member of the political elite\, a wealthy plantation owner\, and eventually the first father-in-law of Martha Washington\, Custis was the creator of one of the most renowned colonial gardens of the early 18th century. Custis’ indulgence in ornamental garden design resulted in the creation of a pleasure garden said to rival that of the Royal Governor. Known as Custis Square\, the four-acre garden was said to contain gravel paths\, topiary\, hundreds of native and imported plant varieties\, and even statues. Friendships with gardening luminaries such as John Bartram and Peter Collinson opened up Custis to a global palette of plants and the correspondence between these “brothers of the spade” has revealed much about the plants within the garden. However\, the actual appearance and layout has remained a mystery… until now. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has just concluded a five-year archaeological excavation to uncover this important lost landscape.  \nWe will explore the evidence gathered through excavation and specialized environmental analysis to discover the design for the garden\, revealing a truly baroque layout. From the locations of individual fruit trees to the evidence for large-scale earthmoving to create vistas\, the results of this research have provided details recorded nowhere else. Developed at a time of transformation in European garden fashions\, studying Custis’ garden provides an opportunity to better understand how elite Americans translated new landscape conventions into a different cultural and environmental setting. The result is a sophisticated garden that is globally influenced but American in execution. \nEvent schedule:  \n3:00 pm – Lecture  \n4:00 pm – Reception with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar \nAfter the lecture\, mix and mingle with the speaker during the reception.  \nFor an easy dinner\, make a reservation at the Broad Table Tavern. Members of the Scott Associates receive a 15% discount at the Broad Table Tavern (discount not valid on alcoholic beverages). \nAdvance registration for this event is closed. Walk-in registrations will be accepted. Bring exact cash ($25)\, check\, or card for payment. Call 610-328-8024 with questions. \nProgram Details \n\nAdvance registration is required.\nLimited to 150 people.\nEmail us if you have accessibility needs for this program.\nFor more information\, review our program and event policies or call the Scott office at 610-328-8025.\n\nAbout the Presenter \nJack Gary is the associate vice president for historic resources for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He leads a team of archaeologists\, curators\, architects\, and scholars to reveal the hidden stories of Williamsburg’s past. He is currently directing the archaeological research for the restoration of the garden of John Custis IV as well as the research into Williamsburg’s First Baptist Church\, the oldest Black Church in the United States. Jack oversees a collection of over 60 million artifacts and the development and construction of the new Campbell Archaeology Center\, which will open in 2026 as the country’s premier archaeology museum. He is the former director of archaeology and landscapes for Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest\, where he directed the archaeological research that led to the Garden Club of Virginia’s restoration of the ornamental landscape surrounding Jefferson’s villa retreat.  \nAbout ACCESS \nScott Arboretum & Gardens proudly participates in the Art-Reach ACCESS program. Pennsylvania ACCESS/EBT cardholders\, and Art-Reach ACCESS cardholders may receive $2 tickets for the cardholder and up to 3 guests. This discount may not be valid for special events or sold out events\, or combined with other discount offers. Visitors must show their ACCESS card and valid photo ID on the day of the program. For more information about the ACCESS program\, please visit art-reach.org/access. 
URL:https://www.scottarboretum.org/calendar/winter-celebration-a-garden-inferior-to-few-the-williamsburg-garden-of-john-custis-iv/
LOCATION:The Inn at Swarthmore\, 10 South Chester Rd\, Swarthmore\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Celebrations,In-person Event,Special Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.scottarboretum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Winter-Celebration-Terrace-Trench-Excavation-600-by-400.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR