The Garden

In 1930, the Governor's daughter, Gipsy, inherited the house and established an area in the back named for her called Gipsy's Garden. A hexagonal sidewalk, which is still present today, provided a path to this "cutting area" that was filled with boxwoods and roses.

Today, thanks to our community volunteers, Gipsy's Garden has been renovated. A local girl scout troop and garden club members helped to revive this area with fresh, new plantings of hydrangeas, roses, azaleas, gardenias, evergreens and a Japanese maple. The revitalization of this area was an important goal to keep the property as an attractive and useful outdoor space to increase public usage and bring awareness to the history of the families who lived here. On the left side of the drive, you will find a pea gravel path called, the Governor's Walk. This path is in memory of Governor McDaniel who walked that direction to town. A bench is at the end of the path to allow visitors a seat to rest, read or just enjoy the view of the grounds. A dedication marker is at the head of the trail in honor of the Eagle Scout who completed the walk.

While aspects of Gipsy’s landscape remain, many elements were changed in the years following her death in 1939. Gipsy’s son, Henry Tichenor, moved into the house with his wife, Emily, following World War II. During the 1970’s, Emily replaced the center of “Gipsy’s Garden” with a swimming pool which has since been filled with soil and handsomely sealed with concrete and brick. However, the original plant border was maintained.