Craighead House is a historic site with a focus on educating the public about pollinators, native plants, and invasive species. The property features a pollinator garden maintained by Penn State Master Gardeners and other volunteers.
Craighead House
Craighead House is a late-Victorian home near Boiling Springs, PA where Frank Craighead, "Scholar of the Everglades," was born and raised. His twin sons, John and Frank Jr., developed their interest in nature and pioneered falconry as a sport in the United States during their summers at the house. They went on to become international-recognized naturalists and authors. His daughter, Jean Craighead George, began her writing career at Craighead House and was a Newbery award-winning author of over 100 children's books about nature including My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, and Summer of the Falcon.
Craighead House Committee is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that purchased the deteriorating house in 2012. Over $500,000 has been raised and used to transform the property into an educational center on nature, the environment, and local history.
Hundreds of persons visit the grounds each year for educational programs, and to fish, relax, and enjoy the beauties of the Yellow Breeches Creek. Programs at the house and other sites such as the Cumberland County Historical Society and local schools are attended by adults and children from a multi-state area. Program topics and activities have included pollinator education, beekeeping, a yearly perennial plant swap, and nature walks. Educational signs provide information on invasive plants and the value of pollinators.
The idyllic setting of Craighead House along the Yellow Breeches Creek in Boiling Springs is a haven for fishermen and picnickers alike. It is also a great spot for garden enthusiasts to explore native plants and to view the gardens and what they might have looked like in the 1930s when the famous Craighead siblings (naturalists and authors) used the house as a summer destination.
The garden beds include a pollinator bed that was funded through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Yellow Breeches Watershed Association. The beds are maintained by volunteers, several of whom are Master Gardeners. In 2021, Craighead House was designated as a Master Gardener demonstration site focusing on educating the public about pollinators, native plants, and invasive species.
A new garden, established in June 2021 by the Penn State Master Gardeners of Cumberland County, is a 250 square foot native pollinator garden - a 21st century update to the "privy garden" of old. The garden was designed by Master Gardener Heather Andrews, and plants donated by Master Gardeners and friends include lobelia, golden rod, amsonia, sedum, grasses, penstemon, cardinal flower, asters, bee balm, obedient plant, Joe Pye weed, phlox, butterfly weed and herbs such as rue, dill and parsley. Shrubs include Osier dogwood, fothergilla, and Little Henry Sweetspire, which were purchased at the Diakon Wilderness Greenhouse.
Adding to the new pollinator garden is 279 square feet of established pollinator native plants, and non-natives such as shady hosta and ferns, along the west side of the house. With this great garden addition, you can be sure that not only is the Craighead house property a haven for fishermen and gardeners, but it will very soon be a haven for butterflies, bees and all of our pollinating insects as well! Come take a look!
Future plans for the Pollinator Garden include:
- Achieving the Penn State Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification
- Presenting programs on a variety of topics, including pollinators, bees, natives, and invasives
- Providing additional signage on the topics above
- Increasing the presence of native plants on the site
Visit the Craighead House website to learn more about the house, history of the Craighead Family, upcoming events, and educational resources.
Awards
2021 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Garden of Distinction Award
2022 Penn State Master Gardener Search for Excellence Award
The Craighead House Pollinator Garden won 1st place in the Demonstration Garden category of the 2022 Penn State Master Gardener Search for Excellence Awards.
Craighead House is an educational center focusing on nature, the environment, literature, and the ideals of the Craighead family of authors, naturalists, and environmental scientists. The gardens are being revitalized with the assistance of Penn State Master Gardeners and volunteers. The new Master Gardener demonstration garden features plants historically associated with the house during the 1930s when the last of the Craighead family lived there, including native plants focused on those that best attract pollinators. Educational signs about native plants, invasive and exotic species, and pollinator habitat areas are displayed throughout the gardens. This garden received a first place award as a Garden of Distinction in the Pennsylvania Historical Society's 2021 gardening contest.
Craighead House Pollinator Garden Video
Craighead House Pollinator Garden Poster
Penn State Master Gardener Heather Andrews accepting the award at the Search for Excellence Award Banquet at the Master Gardener State Conference.
Left to Right: Tara Mondock, Associate Director of Client Relations; Heather Andrews, Penn State Master Gardener; and Brent Hales, Associate Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences, and Director of Penn State Extension.
Penn State Master Gardeners Ruth Osborne, Ann Dailey, and Heather Andrews accepting the award at the Master Gardener membership meeting.
Penn State Master Gardeners of Cumberland County accepting the Cumberland County Commissioners recognition certificate for the Search for Excellence award received for the Craighead House Pollinator Garden.
Left to Right: Commissioner Jean Foschi; Master Gardener Ann Dailey; Master Gardener Lu Conser; Commissioner Gary Eichelberger; Master Gardener Ruth Osborne; Master Gardener Heather Andrews; Master Gardener Coordinator Ellie Stuart; Commissioner Vince DiFilippo.
2024 Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve Land Ethics Award for Best Community Effort
In the News
October 8, 2021 - The Sentinel - Pollinator garden at Craighead House receives statewide recognition
November 4, 2021 - George Weigel, Patriot News - 2 notable central Pa. gardens take state horticultural society awards
August 15, 2023 - ABC27 News - Craighead House in Carlisle honors the past, plants seeds for the future
Visiting the Garden
The Pollinator Garden is located on the property of Craighead House at 318 E Old York Rd, Carlisle, PA 17015.
Parking for Craighead House and the Pollinator Garden is available in the gravel parking lot located off Old York Road to the left of the house.
The garden is open daily to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. Enjoy your visit and thank you for stopping by!
