Vol. 19, No. 34

June 21, 2000

Art and garden party raises funds for Goodstay Gardens

A perfect spring afternoon was the setting for the Friends of Goodstay Gardens’ garden party and art competition on May 24, which raised some $12,000 for the garden. Nearly 300 persons strolled the paths among the blooming peonies, irises, columbines, foxgloves and coral bells and along the magnolia walk. The recently replanted rose garden was in full bloom, with bushes covered with peach/pink blossoms, similar to original plantings by Ellen du Pont Wheelwright and her husband, landscape artist Robert Wheelwright. In the Goodstay ballroom, the staff of the Delaware Art Museum hung an exhibit of artworks by 17 regional artists. Many of the works were of Goodstay Gardens. Laura Hickman, AS ’79 MFA, who is known for her pastel landscape drawings, won first place prize of $2,000; and Ginger Garrett Arthur won the second place prize of $1,000. Martha Carothers, art; Steve Bruni, Delaware Art Museum; and Peggy Amsterdam, Delaware Division of the Arts, were the judges. The more than 50 paintings were for sale, and many were purchased. The event was a success with everyone enjoying the gardens, the artwork and refreshments, according to Helen Eliason, a founding member of the Friends of Goodstay Gardens. "We have a fundraiser every two years and we will use the proceeds from the garden party to replace trees and to restore the woodland garden and stream, by creating paths and planting shade-loving flowers and trees and improving the drainage." The property, which was originally known as Green Hill, was surveyed prior to 1685, and Howard Pyle lived there as a boy in the 1850s. The farm was purchased by Margaretta E. du Pont in 1868, and the name was changed to Goodstay, a translation of Bon Sejour, the name of the first du Pont home in New Jersey. A wedding gift to Mrs. Wheelwright from her father T. Coleman du Pont in 1923, Goodstay was left to the University of Delaware by her in 1968. The Friends of Goodstay Gardens was founded in 1993, when the group held its first garden party to introduce the gardens. — Sue Moncure