Category Archives: Bellingrath Blog

The Summer House Restoration: A Progress Report

As the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait.”  And I am well aware that the Summer House has been mentioned by me since 2021, when I first noticed that the roof was deteriorating and that the iron lace metalwork was showing signs of corrosion and of being torqued. Last year, we commenced work with TAG Architects to develop the plan for a timber frame roof so that the renovated Summer House can have an open ceiling design. TAG also determined that steel columns would need to be added to support the roof, both because of the age of the cast iron columns and due to the additional lift that an open ceiling design would create under high-wind conditions. As of this writing, I am happy to report that engineering work on the timber frame roof trusses is complete and that the trusses are now being manufactured by our source company. We are using eastern white pine as the wood species, a natural product that is valued for its strength while also being relatively lightweight, and also being less likely to twist at drying.

Within a short amount of time (as of this writing in early May), I will know a ship date on the trusses, and then this will trigger bringing in SOS/AAA Iron Works (a Mobile, Alabama company) to restore the iron lace metalwork and install the steel support columns, on which the roof will later be set. These steel support columns will have concrete footings placed underneath the current bluestone flooring of the Summer House. It is our desire to preserve the original flooring by lifting up and then replacing the stones after the footings and steel columns are poured and set. After this is done, a contractor will assemble the roof trusses on-site, attach roof boards, and build the cupola. A standing-seam copper roof will bring the roof work to completion and will stand as a marquee aspect of the renovated structure. Our plans are to emulate the detail of a standing seam copper roof on the west veranda of the Bellingrath Home, tying in the Summer House to the Bellingrath Home in style and detail. Does this all sound easy, yet?!

Since my years at the JC Raulston Arboretum (Raleigh, North Carolina) from 2000 to 2004, I’ve been involved in garden construction. I learned from my boss of those five years, Dr. Robert E. (Bob) Lyons, about attention to detail during construction, as well as honing and keeping to standards. (Ask me about the Manooch Cascade one day, y’all.)  Those lessons served me well at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden (2005-2011) and later at Tulsa Botanic Garden (2011-2020) since both were “start-up” public gardens. Anyone who’s built a home knows that the final product is an admixture of labors of love, creativity, talented artisans and contractors, and the realities of finances.

We are currently working to raise $15,000 in funds to complete the Summer House project. This restoration of an original structure at BGH represents the first commitment toward our new 20-year master plan. As we look to our centennial in spring 2032, we know that planning and diligence today will pay off with beautiful and elegant, while also durable, gardens and garden features as we welcome our second century of existence as the Charm Spot of the Deep South!

Click here to contribute to the Summer House Restoration project.

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Clumping Bamboo at Bellingrath

Bamboo is the largest grass on earth… we all could have guessed that, I suppose. When I am standing in our acre-sized, 60’ tall patch of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), I feel like I’m in the movie “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Some types of bamboo, quite simply, are larger than life. Actually, the world’s largest bamboo, “dragon bamboo” aka Dendrocalamus giganteus can reach 150’ tall.  We’d try growing it here, except dragon bamboo is not tolerant of our occasional hard freezes. As the soil warms in mid spring, new bamboo culms (fancy word for stalks) emerge from the beneath the ground. Actually, “explode from the ground” is probably a more accurate description. Whether destined to be 1’ tall or 150’ tall, the new culms of most bamboo species go from zero to full size within a single warm season—stacking on up to a foot a day!

No other plant grows like bamboo! So, right now at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, our bamboo groves are pushing up new culms—something truly worth witnessing—a real “culm”-ination of spring.

Bellingrath Gardens is home to a few running bamboo clones, including the aforementioned long-running Moso (Phyllostachys edulis) and a couple unidentified shorter-running, smaller-statured Phyllostachys clones. Some bamboo spreads to create a dense screen, and some runs a very long way—offering only a few culms in comparison to the area it occupies.  For most gardens less than a few acres, running bamboo (aka: “leptomorphs”) are simply too aggressive.  So what I really want to cover today is clump-forming bamboo (aka “pachymorphs”)—the kind of bamboo that wouldn’t run even if being chased by starving pandas (that’s not my saying, but I cannot say it better!)  Visible in the distance from Mirror Lake Bridge, looking to the southwest, you’ll see some very large clumping bamboo. We estimate that in the 1960’s, several clumps of the non-running genus Bambusa were installed as part of the Asian American Garden’s construction.  More specifically, these clumps are all likely Bambusa multiplex ‘Riviereorum’. I’m afraid we are beyond the reach of “spell check” at this point.

‘Riviereorum’ tops out at around 30’ tall. But here’s the cool part…it’s unrestricted ground contact footprint in 60 years has only increased to about 10’ wide (or about 2” per year). That’s pretty darn impressive if you look at it like a supersized ornamental grass. Dropping to between 13f and 17F last January, this clone lost its leaves, but did not suffer damage to the actual canes– they are leafing back out as I type. It is also worth mentioning that the unprecedented 8” winter 2025 snow did not flatten the stalks…they bounded right back. Nevertheless, individual culms only survive about five to ten years before they die. After 60 years, our over-mature clumps are composed as much of dead canes as living canes. So, although this year’s cold didn’t kill the clump to ground and the weight of the snow didn’t smash the bamboo flat, it’s time to hit the reset button…it’s time to cut them back to the ground so they can re-emerge fresh.

With culms in excess of 1” diameter, traditional grass cut-back tools like hedge shears and pruners are simply outmatched. I searched the internet for videos or advice on how to cut back a large clumping bamboo.  The search returned plenty of hits about killing and removing “invasive” running bamboo, but I found very little about “rejuvenation pruning” a tight clumping bamboo. So, we went with one of our primary horticultural “problem solving” tools…a chainsaw. Disclaimer: when used improperly or misapplied, chainsaws have been found to cause even larger problems than the original problem to be solved—as some of know all too well. However, in this case, the chainsaw proved to be our best tool (within reach and within reason) to cut back the dense canes.

I’m about to share how we cut back bamboo with a chainsaw. I cannot stress enough the importance of chainsaw safety and safety gear. I am in no way claiming that the following method is only way or the best way to rejuvenate clumping bamboo. Please be safe out there!

Dense clumps are more difficult to cut than running bamboo because there is not enough room between canes to target them individually. Additionally, stooping low and awkwardly reaching out with the chainsaw to cut canes within a couple inches of the ground proved not to be the best practice—not only because there are 30’ tall bamboo trees falling everywhere while other canes are trying to bind up the saw, but also because of having to walk across a bed of 6” tall sharpened bamboo stubs. Just no comfortable landing there! We took a careful step back and decided to adjust our approach…the first cut was made at a comfortable 3’ high. Then after we cleared the fallen canes, and with a much more balanced posture, we made our final ground cut. Importantly, we quickly learned to only cut a few canes at a time before shutting off saw and clearing…easy does it. Finally, as a far less aggressive approach, dead canes can generally just be popped out of the living clump by hand—not as complete as a wholesale cutback, but it will go a long way towards tidying up an over-mature mammoth.

Although we could cut the bamboo back any time of year without killing it, we want to cut it back right before the new culms jump out of the ground to reduce “downtime” and so that the clump will return to mature size that season. As the new canes mature this summer, we’ll post a few more photos of the rejuvenated bamboo to our social media outlets.

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The Bellingrath Summer House

In 1870 the author of “Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste,” advised his readers that “summer houses of some sort are desirable and indeed almost necessary features in gardens of all dimensions and styles.”

By definition, a summer house is a free-standing structure in a garden that provides shelter from the sun or rain. They may be found in both public and private gardens. As early as 1696 a summer house was included in the plans for the public grounds of both Annapolis, MD and Williamsburg, VA, but the idea goes back much further.

There is evidence that both the ancient Egyptians and Romans constructed summer houses as a shelter and place of rest as well as for outdoor social gatherings. In medieval Europe, simple wooden structures with thatched roofs offered shade in gardens.

During the 17th and 18th centuries the idea took off in English garden design and the terms summer house, temple or pavilion became interchangeable and were found in the great estates of the day. And by the Victorian era, Americans used the terms gazebos, belvederes, kiosques or covered seats to convey the same idea.

With this long history of summer houses as an important part of a garden, it comes as no surprise that architect George Rogers included one in his original plans for Belle Camp. His use of salvaged “iron lace” echoes the design of the Bellingrath Home.

He placed it behind Mirror Lake where it is approached by a series of flagstone steps. While providing protection from the rain or the sun it also offers both a termination of a view as well as offering a view down to the lake. Any visitor to Bellingrath Gardens caught in one of Mobile’s frequent summer showers has been happy to have found it.

As it approaches its centennial, the Bellingrath Summer House is being restored and will begin its second century as a welcomed respite for our visitors.

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Regenerating

As a kid, I was a huge sci-fi fan. (I still am.) My mind would run wild with crazy plot lines and oft-bad special effects from those ‘70s to ‘80s series and movies. One classic show that was notorious for its “not so great” special effects was the long-running British series “Doctor Who.” Amongst other things, the premise is that of a time-traveling adventurer, “The Doctor,” who after a few years “regenerates” into a new form – a clever plot device that allowed for actors to depart and be replaced by new actors over the lifetime of the series.

What might Doctor Who have to do, if anything, with Bellingrath Gardens & Home?! Well, …, it turns out that gardens, too, are good at regenerating, or needing to be regenerated, every now and then. Sometimes, the “actors” (e.g., individual plants) take a bow and are replaced by other, newer actors, even. And so, as does Doctor Who, so too does Bellingrath!

This year, we continue our work on the multi-year azalea rejuvenation program we started in 2021. Since then, we’ve cut back roughly half of the overgrown azaleas throughout the gardens and are continuing to do so after the blooms finish shortly. However, looking back in the history of BGH, it is apparent that the azaleas have been replanted on at least two occasions: the post-Hurricane Frederic years of 1980 and 1981, and the early 2000s when Bill Barrick was the then-new executive director.

Today, we start the next phase of replanting the Bellingrath Gardens azaleas. With the work commenced over the past two years to collect and grow-on over 500 different kinds of evergreen azaleas – everything from heirloom Southern Indica cultivars to the latest and great Encore® azalea releases – we are now ready to begin the process of replanting spaces in the gardens that are in need, just as they were 20 years ago, and 20 years before then, of revitalization! The first replanting project will occur in the coming weeks on a bed dominated by cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) and some sad gardenias – the bed in front of the sidewalk leading up to the Rose Garden Overlook Bridge. We have assembled a list of ten different azaleas in shades of pink to salmon to red that will create a new visual dynamic in this spot that has been sorely lacking for attention for years.

Beyond our azaleas, watch for rejuvenation work throughout the gardens this year. Already, we have made huge progress in the continuing work to remove Carolina cherrylaurel (Prunus caroliniana) and camphor trees (Camphora officinarum), and we have also removed many declining specimens of laurel oak (Quercus hemisphaerica) and water oak (Quercus nigra) in the gardens. These removals are allowing light to penetrate through out tree canopy so that our camellias and azaleas can flourish. Work in revitalizing the camellia collection has also progressed substantially, through the work of our Horticulture team and volunteers. Planting beds that were revamped in 2024 are now starting to fill in, especially those along the north end of Mirror Lake and along the Fowl River shore by the Home’s riverfront, and we think you’ll enjoy the newfound plant diversity in these areas.

Coming off of one of the best azalea bloom seasons in years, we feel confident that good days remain ahead for Bellingrath Gardens & Home. Come out and join us here, and come visit our little “Charm Spot of the Deep South!”

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The Enchantment of Chinese Lantern Festivals: A Timeless Tradition Coming to the Gulf Coast

For centuries, lantern festivals have illuminated the night, captivating audiences with their intricate designs, vibrant colors, and deep cultural significance. Originating in China over 2,000 years ago, these festivals symbolize hope, renewal, and the celebration of light over darkness. Today, the magic of lantern festivals has spread across the world, and Bellingrath Gardens & Home is bringing this breathtaking tradition to the Gulf Coast with the first-ever Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival.

The History of Lantern Festivals

The origins of the Chinese lantern festival date back to the Han Dynasty when people lit lanterns to honor Buddha. Over time, the festival evolved into a grand celebration marking the end of the Lunar New Year festivities. Traditionally held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, lantern festivals feature glowing displays, dragon dances, and riddles written on lanterns. These festivals celebrate family, prosperity, and good fortune, making them one of the most anticipated events in Chinese culture.

As global interest in cultural celebrations has grown, lantern festivals have made their way to the United States, offering immersive experiences that blend ancient artistry with modern innovation. These festivals not only showcase the craftsmanship of Chinese artisans but also promote cross-cultural appreciation.

The Gulf Coast’s Inaugural Chinese Lantern Festival

From April 17 – June 15, 2025, Bellingrath Gardens & Home will host the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival, an awe-inspiring event produced in partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. Known as the largest Chinese lantern festival producer in North America, Tianyu specializes in creating larger-than-life illuminated displays that transform outdoor spaces into glowing wonderlands.

Visitors will have the opportunity to walk through a stunning collection of handcrafted lanterns, each designed to reflect traditional and modern themes. Expect to see majestic dragons, glowing lotus flowers, and endangered wildlife representations, all brought to life with intricate silk work and LED lights.

Why You Can’t Miss This Spectacular Event

  1. A One-of-a-Kind Experience – This is the first lantern festival of its kind on the Gulf Coast, making it a must-see event for families, art lovers, and cultural enthusiasts.
  2. Instagram-Worthy Displays – The larger-than-life lanterns offer stunning backdrops for photos and unforgettable memories.
  3. Fun for All Ages – With hands-on activities, interactive displays, and games, the Festival offers something for everyone.
  4. A Celebration of Art and Culture – This event is more than just a light display; it’s a chance to experience the rich traditions of Chinese heritage right here in Alabama.
  5. A Day and Night Experience – Whether you visit during the day or at night, the Festival offers something unique. Daytime visits allow guests to see the intricate details of the lanterns up close at regular garden admission rates, while the nighttime experience transforms the gardens into an illuminated wonderland.
  6. Limited-Time Event – The Festival runs for just nine weeks, so don’t miss your chance to witness this unforgettable spectacle.

Plan Your Visit

The Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival will take place Thursday – Sunday nights from April 17 – June 15, 2025, with special openings on Easter and Memorial Day. Tickets will be available online, and guests are encouraged to book in advance as demand is expected to be high.

Join us at Bellingrath Gardens & Home as we bring the beauty and wonder of this ancient tradition to the Gulf Coast. Whether you’re visiting with family, friends, or as a solo adventurer, this Festival promises to be an illuminating experience you won’t forget.

For ticket information and event details, visit Bellingrath.org or follow us on social media for updates!

 

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Asian American Gardening

Everyone here at Bellingrath Gardens and Home is excited for the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival coming in April—and I mean everyone! And while the place is buzzing in anticipation, I can’t help but think about great plants for our south Alabama gardens that originally came from Asia.

Since I was an intern at Longwood Gardens in 2006, I’ve been enamored by tales of plant explorers venturing into the botanically rich wilds across our planet. Sometimes those explorers delved into uncharted lands, blazing trails to make first contact with flora no one had ever seen. And thanks to ongoing plant exploration by all the Horticultural Indiana Jones’s in the world, thousands upon thousands of aesthetically pleasing or ethnobotanically significant species are documented and shared, saved from extinction, and otherwise put to good use—benefiting people and their gardens.

Of course, not every plant that is collected is “wild collected.” Many great plants that are ubiquitous to southern gardens were first selected and cultivated oceans away, and later imported into America. I recently had a great conversation with our Executive Director, Dr. Todd Lasseigne, who explained to me how the majority of southern garden staple plants originated as cultivated material already cherished in Asia’s ancient gardens. I’ll do my best to pass along what Todd shared with me.

In 1843, Robert Fortune was commissioned by the Royal Horticulture Society to visit the many gardens and nurseries SE China. Three years later, and likely maxing out the company credit card, Robert returned to England with a huge shopping cart of plants. Can you even imagine!? Two well known plants common to the SE United States that resulted from this epic spree are the Chinese snowball bush (Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’) and a great selection of spirea (Spriaea cantoniensis ‘Lanceata’). These two plants are very different than what would have been found in nature; and they were rooted into the soil of Chinese gardens long before they touched western soil.

In 1917-1918, as the final chapters of World War I were being written in Europe, Ernest Wilson, the assistant Director of the Arnold Arboretum, traveled to Japan, Korea, Taiwan… and then back to Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. If I was in Ernest’s shoes, I’d be going back for seconds too! In addition to being the first westerner to botanize many of east Asia’s most beautiful places, he brought back some of east Asia’s most beautiful cultivated plants… the “Wilson 50”—fifty different Kurume Azalea varieties, including the seemingly omnipresent clones ‘Coral Bells’ and ‘Hino Crimson.’

Many other plant “explorers” marveled at Asia’s advanced horticultural plant palette. Dr. Lasseigne pointed out several more plants that these Horticultural pioneers brought back across the pond in the past two centuries. I can’t imagine Bellingrath Gardens (or any other classic southern garden) without several of these iconic plants developed in Asia—can you?

·         Camellias (Camellia)

·         All evergreen azaleas (Rhododendron)

·         Gardenias (Gardenia)

·         Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra)

·         Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis hybrids)

·         Japanese boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. japonica)

·         Pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira)

·         Most non-native evergreen hollies (Ilex spp.)

·         Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

·         Most “flowering” cherries (Prunus spp.)

·         “French” hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla)

·         Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica)

·         And TONS more!!!

Plants collected from Asia, especially Japan and China, were often cultivated selections that had already been adorning gardens in Asia for generations before they made it into gardens in the southern United States. So the next time you are tending to your southern garden, turn over a leaf on your Chinese snowball bush and see if it says “made in China.” Don’t see it? That’s ok. What’s important is that Horticulture connects us with one another through time, across our many diverse cultures, and despite our geopolitical boundaries.  When you join this spring and summer to experience the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival at Bellingrath Gardens, just look around… odds are, you’ll see the lanterns illuminate some of the exact same plants that the people of Asia have loved for centuries!

     

 

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Lighting the Way

In just over a month, as of this writing, Bellingrath Gardens & Home will host the inauguration of what we feel will become a new tradition for Mobile-area and Gulf Coast residents – The Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival. Partnering with Tianyu Arts and Culture, we are extremely excited and honored by the opportunity to bring this special event to Bellingrath!

If you haven’t heard of a Chinese lantern festival, don’t feel like you are alone.  Although this tradition goes back 1,000 to 2,000 years in China, its presence in the U.S. is relatively new. Spokane, Washington was the first U.S. city to host a festival of this sort, with this milestone occurring only as recently as 2015. Since then, Chinese lantern festivals have been held in around 20 U.S. cities. With 2025, Mobile, Alabama joins this select list of celebrated locations for hosting this event.  Our partner, Tianyu, is the acknowledged leader in developing and organizing these shows, and as such, Bellingrath is in good hands.

Some people think of “sky lanterns” when they think of festivals such as this, while others think of lanterns that float on water. The Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival is neither of these, instead being a showcase of larger-than-life wire-frame structures that are covered in brightly painted fabrics, these structures then lit from within and glowing at night. Moreover, the structures are huge. The dragon that will be on display, for instance, will be 200 feet long and around 12 feet tall!

Where in China do these lantern festivals originate? Well, that’s a more complicated question than you might think, but in today’s world, an epicenter of lantern festivals in China occurs in the city of Zigong, a city of around 2.5 million people located in southeastern Sichuan Province. (By Chinese standards, this is a small city, too.) Sichuan, or Szechuan as it was formerly spelled, Province is known for its spicy cuisine and for being the home of the panda preserve and conservation research efforts. Sichuan Province, by area, is about 15% larger than California.

Bellingrath Gardens & Home has led the way with evening special events. For almost 30 years, we have held Magic Christmas in Lights, but also as far back as 1932, Mr. Bellingrath was experimenting with special lighting to illuminate the gardens’ trees that were festooned with Spanish moss. In this regard, the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival is a natural progression of us holding evening events. As with Magic Christmas, we feel that you, our supporters and guests, will be thrilled by the luminescence that these lanterns will bring, and we truly do believe that you will see Bellingrath in a new light. Tickets are on sale now at Bellingrath.org, and a special preview party has been set for April 12. Come one, and come all!

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From Lighting Spanish Moss to Chinese Lanterns

After three decades of lighting the Gardens for Magic Christmas in Lights, it is interesting to look back at the days when Walter and Bessie Bellingrath entertained friends and family for overnight house parties. As it turns out, the property actually had lighting for evening events, at least around the Lodge.

In the April 17, 1932 edition of the Montgomery Advertiser, a reporter had this to say about his stay with the Bellingrath’s:

On a moonlit night the ripple of lake and river along with the soft light filtering through strands of Spanish moss creates an effect both weird and charming. To introduce a similar entertainment for his guests when the night is dark, Mr. Bellingrath has installed electric lights concealed at points of vantage in the trees. When these green and white lights are turned on, the Spanish moss assumes the appearance of stalactite and the archways of the oaks resemble the walls of some great cave.

Howard Barney in his book, “Mr. Bell” described other lights around the Lodge. Mrs. Bellingrath often hosted weekend house parties for her teenage nieces and nephews and their school friends. There was always a chaperone present during the planned activities, but after dark, to make certain there was no hanky-panky going on, Bessie Bellingrath saw to it that the woods around the Lodge were well-lighted. And when she blinked those lights at 10 o’clock, it was the signal for immediate occupancy by the boys and girls in their very separate sleeping quarters. Two very different sets of lighting in the Gardens for two very different purposes. How surprised and pleased the couple would be to see crowds enjoying their Gardens at night today, whether at Magic Christmas or the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival.

 

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Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival

Experience the Enchantment of the inaugural Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival at Bellingrath Gardens & Home. From April 17 to June 15, 2025, visitors can immerse themselves in an unforgettable display of art, culture, and illumination. This must-see event will light up the night with spectacular handcrafted lanterns, interactive experiences, and family-friendly entertainment.

The Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival is an extraordinary outdoor event featuring larger-than-life, intricately designed lantern displays. These dazzling works of art are created by the talented artisans of Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., the largest producer of Chinese lantern festivals in North America. The festival showcases the beauty of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, combined with modern technology, to create a wonderous nighttime experience for all ages.

Visitors to the festival can expect to walk through glowing gardens filled with stunning, handcrafted lanterns inspired by nature and Chinese folklore. Interactive experiences will allow guests to engage with light-up installations, step into immersive photo opportunities, and learn about the artistry behind the lanterns. This festival is a one-of-a-kind family experience, perfect for all ages, offering a unique way to explore the beauty of Bellingrath Gardens after dark.

The Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival is more than just a visual spectacle—it’s an opportunity to experience a centuries-old tradition in a stunning botanical setting. This limited-time event will only be open Thursday through Sunday nights, plus Easter and Memorial Day, from 5 PM to 10 PM.

The event runs from April 17 to June 15, 2025, at Bellingrath Gardens & Home in Theodore, AL. We are encouraging guests to purchase tickets online in advance. Limited on-site ticket sales will be available, but an additional $8 per ticket charge will apply for purchases at the door. Flex tickets, valid for any show night, can be purchased for an extra $10 per ticket fee. Children 4 and under will be charged $2.

 

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Curator’s Choice: The Erskine Cups

In August of 1940, the owner of Rothschild’s Antiques on Royal Street in New Orleans wrote Mrs. Bellingrath a letter. He regretted having been out of town during her recent visit but was happy to announce that he had found ”a very fine pair of silver cups with tops….from the collection of Mr. Erskine, president of the Studebaker Corporation. His collection was famous all over the United States and abroad.”

The pair of cups pictured was made by Gorham Corporation in 1928. That was a banner year for Albert Russel Erskine serving as president of one of this country’s premier auto manufacturers. America was booming and there seemed no limit to the number of cars to be sold to Americans in the midst of the Jazz Age. In fact, between 1927 and 1930 Studebaker even named one of their models the Erskine.

A year later the stock market plummeted and within a matter of months so did the sale of automobiles. Either due to blind optimism or financial ineptitude, Mr. Erskine paid out an astounding $7 million in dividends in 1930 and half that amount a year later. The company showed no profits for either of those years.

By late 1932 Studebaker was $6 million in debt and had no cash reserves left. When the company defaulted on their loans the firm was placed into receivership and Mr. Erskine was without a job. On July 1, 1933, Albert Erskine was at his palatial home “Twykenham Manor” in suburban South Bend, Indiana. On that hot summer day he walked upstairs and stood in his bathroom, placing a loaded revolver to his chest. His family found a note nearby stating “I cannot go on any longer.”

Mr. Rothschild made no mention of Erskine’s sad end in his letter to Mrs. Bellingrath and we have no way of knowing if she recalled the fate of her cups’ prior owner. Today they are one of three pairs of magnificent silver cups with covers on display within the Bellingrath Butler’s Pantry.

And ironically their prior owner is also in Alabama. Mr. Erskine is buried in his native Huntsville, some 360 miles to the north. His former home in South Bend survives as condominiums.

 

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