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The first program will focus on the Amawalk Nursery which is set on 249 acres in the hills of Westchester. The nursery was established by Major Orlando Jay Smith, a tree hobbyist, in 1904. After his death in 1908, the nursery was managed by his daughters, Evelyn and M. F. Smith. Evelyn became president of the Amawalk Nurseries in 1919 when she purchased her sister’s half of their father’s estate – and under her management, trees and smaller plants from Amawalk Nursery were shipped all over the world – to as far away as Australia.
In its day, the nursery was known as “the largest big tree nursery in the world.” Trees and plants from Amawalk have been planted throughout New York State, and many can still be found at notable and historic sites.
In a program filled with vintage photographs, diagrams, published advertisements and images, Doherty will trace the creation and growth of Yorktown’s Amawalk Nursery – noting the nursery’s great impact on much of the surrounding area, as well as to the fields of horticulture and arboriculture throughout the world. Using lovingly and painstakingly captured then and now photos, Doherty will also demonstrate what became of the nursery, and what remains can be seen today.
Doherty, a long time Yorktown resident, has served as president of the Yorktown Historical Society and is a member of its Program Committee. Her interest in history has led her to document Washington’s Revolutionary War trenches and the Yorktown campsites used by General Rochambeau’s regiments in 1781 and 1782.
The free program will be held at 10 a.m. at the Putnam Valley Grange Hall, 128 Mill St.
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