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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.
