Penn State Master Gardeners are proud to maintain gardens at this historic property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Penn State Master Gardeners Judy May, Christy Carroll, and Donna Berg at the ready to educate and answer questions from visitors during the annual Vicary Day celebration.
In the 1820s, Captain William Vicary, a naval officer during the War of 1812, built his mansion along the Ohio River in Freedom, PA. In the 1960s, a grassroots campaign kept the home from being razed to make way for Route 65, and in 1974, the mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beaver County purchased the property in 1983, and in 1999, the mansion became the home of the Beaver County Historical Research & Landmark Foundation. Today the mansion serves as a museum and a place for hands-on education in the arts of the 1800s.
Penn State Master Gardeners are proud to maintain the period-specific gardens surrounding the mansion. Specifically, the herb garden reflects the varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs used at the time. You will find Master Gardeners every Tuesday morning throughout the growing season working at the gardens and available to discuss the herbs, annual and perennial flowers, and shrubs. One of the primary educational opportunities occurs on Vicary Day in August, when Master Gardeners and other artisans demonstrate historic foods, arts, crafts, and gardening of the era.
