Norfolk Botanical Garden Records, 1937-2015 | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Will Hopkins

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Collection Overview

Title: Norfolk Botanical Garden Records, 1937-2015

ID: 001/01/MSS 2015-044

Primary Creator: Norfolk Botanical Garden (1938-)

Extent: 72.0 Boxes

Arrangement: Arranged by subject and record type. 1. History, 2. Operations / Facility, 3. Gardens / Plants, 4. Events, 5. Publications, 6. Clippings, 7. Scrapbooks, 8. Photographs, Negatives, and Slides, and 9. Audiovisual Materials.

Date Acquired: 11/18/2015

Subjects: Buildings, Gardening--Societies, etc., Gardening--Southern States, Horticulture, International Azalea Festival (Norfolk, Va.), Norfolk (Va.), Norfolk Botanical Garden

Forms of Material: Audiocassettes, Clippings (information artifacts), Compact discs, Histories (literature genre), Ledgers (account books), Negatives (photographs), Newspapers, Photographs, Publications (document genre), Scrapbooks, Slides (photographs), VHS

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Records of the Norfolk Botanical Garden's history, facilities, daily operations, exhibits, gardens, plants, and various events from 1937-2015. Included are correspondence files, reports, ledgers, publications, news clippings, and photographs. Operations documentation includes internal correspondence, finances, and various committee records. The daily operations and income ledgers date from 1965-1993, with a gap from 1987-1988. Publications in the collection include Bloom (2002-2013), Norfolk Botanical Garden Society Newsletter (1963-1997), and Old Dominion Horticultural Society Bulletin (1940-1962).

The records also include 24 scrapbooks, of which 14 scrapbooks relate to the International Azalea Festival for the years 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, and 1981. The remaining scrapbooks cover history of the Norfolk Botanical Garden from 1961-1988, Federation of Garden Clubs from 1951-1970, Tidewater District Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs from 1952-1959, and Cape Henry Woman's Club from 1959-1961. There are also eight boxes of photographs primarily dating from the late 1980s to 2007 and two boxes of negatives from the 1990s-2000s. There are six boxes comprising approximately 7,000 slide photographs from 1940-2007. Finally, there are eight boxes of audiovisual materials including 16mm and 8mm film reels, VHS tapes, CDs, and other electronic media.

Biographical Note

The Norfolk Botanical Garden began in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. It was called the Norfolk Azalea Gardens until 1958. The Garden is nationally recognized and was home to the city's International Azalea Festival from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Subject/Index Terms

Buildings
Gardening--Societies, etc.
Gardening--Southern States
Horticulture
International Azalea Festival (Norfolk, Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)
Norfolk Botanical Garden

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Norfolk Botanical Garden by donation

Preferred Citation: Norfolk Botanical Garden Records, MSS 2015-044, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information: Processed in March and September 2020.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: History],
[Box 2: History, circa 1938-2004],
[Box 3: History / Operations, circa 1947-1990],
[Box 4: Operations, circa 1960-1985],
[Box 5: Operations, circa 1965-2005],
[Box 6: Operations, circa 1942-2005],
[Box 7: Operations, 1967-1969],
[Box 8: Operations, 1970-1972],
[Box 9: Operations, 1973-1975],
[Box 10: Operations, 1976-1978],
[Box 11: Operations, 1979-1981],
[Box 12: Operations, 1982-1984],
[Box 13: Operations, 1985-1986, 1989],
[Box 14: Operations, 1989-1990],
[Box 15: Operations, 1990],
[Box 16: Operations, 1991-1993],
[Box 17: Operations / Facility / Gardens, circa 1960-1990],
[Box 18: Gardens, circa 1955-1995],
[Box 19: Gardens / Plants, circa 1937-2014],
[Box 20: Plants / Events, circa 1958-2003],
[Box 21: Events, circa 1959-2005],
[Box 22: Events, circa 1975-2012],
[Box 23: Events / Publications, circa 2002-2015],
[Box 24: Publications, 1963-2002],
[Box 25: Publications, 1974-1993],
[Box 26: Publications, 1940-2002],
[Box 27: Publications / Press Releases, circa 1984-2008],
[Box 28: Publications],
[Box 29: Publications / Clippings, circa 1938-2002],
[Box 30: Clippings / Artifacts, circa 1958, 1990s-2013],
[Box 31: Scrapbook 1, Norfolk Botanical Garden, 1961-1971],
[Box 32: Scrapbook 2, Norfolk Botanical Garden, 1971-1981],
[Box 33: Scrapbook 3, Norfolk Botanical Garden, 1981-1988],
[Box 34: Scrapbook 4, Federation of Garden Clubs, 1951-1962],
[Box 35: Scrapbook 5, Federation of Garden Clubs, 1959-1970],
[Box 36: Scrapbook 6, Tidewater District Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, 1952-1954],
[Box 37: Scrapbook 7, Tidewater District Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, 1958-1959],
[Box 38: Scrapbook 8, Exhibits, 1963-1966],
[Box 39: Scrapbook 9, Cape Henry Woman's Club, 1959-1960],
[Box 40: Scrapbook 10, Cape Henry Woman's Club, 1960-1961],
[Box 41: Scrapbook 11, Azalea Festival, 1965],
[Box 42: Scrapbook 12, Azalea Festival, 1967],
[Box 43: Scrapbooks 13 and 14, Azalea Festival, 1969],
[Box 44: Scrapbook 15, Azalea Festival, 1969],
[Box 45: Scrapbooks 16, 17, and 18, Azalea Festival, 1970],
[Box 46: Scrapbooks 19, 20, and 21, Azalea Festival, 1971],
[Box 47: Scrapbook 22, Azalea Festival, 1973],
[Box 48: Scrapbooks 23 and 24, Azalea Festival, 1975, 1981],
[Box 49: Photographs, circa 1950s-2000s],
[Box 50: Photographs, Historic, Exhibits, and Construction, circa 1960s-2007],
[Box 51: Photographs, Holidays and Historical Reenactments, circa 1987-2005],
[Box 52: Photographs, Special Events, circa 1990-2004],
[Box 53: Photographs, Children's Programs, circa 1990-2005],
[Box 54: Photographs, People and Adult Programs, circa 1990-2005],
[Box 55: Photographs, Plants and Landscapes, circa 1990-2007],
[Box 56: Photographs and Postcards, circa 1950s-2000s],
[Box 57: Negatives, circa 1990s-2000s],
[Box 58: Negatives, circa 1990s-2000s],
[Box 59: Slides, 1940-1964 April],
[Box 60: Slides, 1964 April - 1968 May],
[Box 61: Slides, 1968 May - 1979 April],
[Box 62: Slides, 1979 May - 1993 May],
[Box 63: Slides, 1993 May - 2003 May],
[Box 64: Slides, 2003 May - 2007 September, undated],
[Box 65: Disks and Audiocassettes, circa 1990s-2000s],
[Box 66: CDs, 2001-2007, undated],
[Box 67: CDs, 2007-2012, undated],
[Box 68: 16mm Film Reels, circa 1959-1970s],
[Box 69: 16mm and 8mm Film Reels, circa 1956-1965],
[Box 70: 16mm Film Reel, circa 1960s-1970s],
[Box 71: 16mm Film Reels, VHS and Beta Tapes, DVD, and Mini Data Cartridge Tape, circa 1957-2000],
[Box 72: VHSs, 1997-2008],
[All]

Box 71: 16mm Film Reels, VHS and Beta Tapes, DVD, and Mini Data Cartridge Tape, circa 1957-2000

19 16mm film reels, 18 VHSs, 5 Beta tapes, 1 DVD, and 1 mini data cartridge tape.

16mm film reels (circa 1957-1963) include footage of the 1957 and 1963 Coronation Ceremonies, canal boat ride, along the "Azalea Trails," Great Smokies, Cypress Gardens, and Brookfield Zoo.

VHSs include 1991 master plan and circa 1990s promotional footage for Norfolk Botanical Garden. Beta tapes advertise "The Gift" and "WOW Garden" (2007).