Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Willowwood Papers, FONDS record |
Scope & Content |
Willowwood Papers, Parent Record The Willowwood Papers are comprised of the personal papers of Henry Tubbs, his brother Robert Tubbs, and Benjamin Blackburn. The papers include correspondence, plant records, and landscape planning documents. The Tubbs and Dr. Blackburn were extremely active in the horticulture and preservation movements of the early 20th century and turned Willowwood into a first class arboretum during their combined tenures. The history of these men, their home, and their extended networks allow researchers to grasp a larger understanding of the interconnectedness of the horticulture world and the genesis of the site as an Arboretum and its residents' participation in local organizations as well as international correspondence. The Willowwood Papers contain the personal and business records of Henry Tubbs as well as papers concerning the larger Tubbs family. A significant portion of the Collection is comprised of the papers of Dr. Blackburn, ranging from his time in the military, to his correspondence with horticulturalists from all over the world, to his time at university both as a student and a professor, in addition to his records surrounding the horticultural history of Willowwood Arboretum. |
Object Name |
Papers, Personal |
Catalog Number |
WW2013.002 |
Collection |
Willowwood Collection |
Physical characteristics |
61 boxes, or 30 linear feet of paper based loose and bound items. |
Creator |
Blackburn, Benjamin |
Other Creators |
Tubbs, Henry Tubbs, Robert |
Biographical History |
The Tubbs brothers were enthusiastic gardeners, interested in Horticulture beginning as youths at the family home in Kingston, NY. Henry, known as Hal (February 19, 1878 - July 26, 1958), was affable and gregarious, worked briefly in publishing at Charles Scribner's Sons. In July, 1908 he purchased "Paradise Farm" 135 acres of land with its huge weeping willows lining the brook, swaying toward the frame house and its cluster of outbuildings with his brother Robert. The brothers christened their new property "Willowwood Farm". Hal and Robert were interested in horticulture and built a greenhouse and potting shed. Robert still worked in the city, coming home on weekends and holidays with many new plants scoured from the New York markets. He had an active interest in unusual trees and shrubs and corresponded with many of the horticulture luminaries of the time including plant explorer Ernest Henry 'Chinese' Wilson and Professor Charles Sprague Sargent, the founding director of the Arnold Arboretum. Many rare plants were added to the Willowwood Collection as a result of their friendships. In April, 1939 the New York Times reported on the brothers horticultural efforts. Robert collected; Henry was the artist who "painted" on the garden canvas with a "careful-carelessness" which made it seem as if the garden had arranged itself. Henry was a member of the Garden Club of Somerset Hills along with their neighbor Martha Brookes Hutcheson, one of the first female landscape architects in the U.S. and former student at MIT who, with her husband William Anderson Hutcheson, had purchased the adjacent property in 1912 and named it Merchiston Farm (now known as Bamboo Brook). They shared their interest and began serious discussions about plants and garden design. Benjamin Blackburn (May 2, 1908 - July 7, 1987), an author-lecturer-horticulturist from Ridgeway, NY, was appointed to the faculty of the College of Agriculture at Rutgers University as an instructor in Ornamental Horticulture. Introduced by Martha Brookes Hutcheson in 1936 to the Tubbs brothers he visited Willowwood and would move in permanently in 1939. In 1942, Ben enlisted in the Army, was stationed in Boston and worked on concealment plans for Boston's harbor defense. In 1945 Captain Blackburn was transferred to Japan. While there he visited many of the gardens and befriended Japanese botanist Yoshiharu Matsumura of the Nikko Botanical Garden. After World War II ended, he returned to Willowwood bringing Japanese statuary and accouterment for later garden use and sets to work with Hal to restore the gardens. Mr. Blackburn got his Ph.D. from Rutgers University and became a professor at Drew University and wrote prolifically for a number of gardening periodicals and authored three books: Your Garden This Week, Keys to the Woody Plants of New Jersey, and Trees and Shrubs in Eastern North America (1952). He and Hal traveled in the U.S. and to Italy - always continuing to amass new plants and Ben carefully cataloged each accession in an effort to build a first-rate curated arboretum. He and Hal entertained many important horticulture visitors but he spent most of his time in the gardens as Henry, aging, handed most of the garden duties to him. Henry Tubbs saw Dr. Blackburn as the protector of Willowwood's future and in late 1949 legally adopted him as his son. He would remain at Willowwood and shepherd its future as protected land. |
Year Range from |
1880 |
Year Range to |
1987 |
System of arrangement |
This collection is arranged into 7 series: Henry Tubbs, Ben Blackburn - personal, Ben Blackburn - Correspondence, Ben Blackburn - Military, Ben Blackburn - School/work, Ben Blackburn - Horticulture, Tubbs Family |
Subjects |
World War II Horticulture |
Copyrights |
Records may be copied for use in individual scholarly or personal research; however, as with all materials in the Morris County Park Commission, researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use material from the collection. |
Level of description |
Fonds |
Child Records |
Passport (D370386) belonging to Benjamin Blackburn. The passport was issued on March 1, 1983 and expired on March 10,1993. War Department Identification, Benjamin C. Blackburn, 1st Lieutenant, Issued Oct 10,1944 Japanese Tour Itinerary, 1980, International Dendrology Society, April 24 - 15 May 1980 |