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August 1969: Remembering Hurricane Camille

By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home Mobilians on Saturday, August 16, 1969, awoke to a front page story about a hurricane named Camille. Long before Doppler Radar and spaghetti models, a simply drawn map carried the notation…

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Then and now: The Bellingrath Gift Shop

By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home After Walter Bellingrath’s death in 1955, his home was opened for public tours, while the adjoining Lodge was converted into a gift shop.  The Gardens had previously sold souvenir items at…

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A rare sight: The Ponytail Palm in bloom

By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director Blooming in the Conservatory now is a mature specimen of Ponytail Palm, Beaucarnea recurvata.  As best as we can tell, this is the first time we have observed flower spikes on our specimen.  There…

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The Bellingrath Home bathrooms: A bold Art Deco statement

By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home American prosperity during the 1920s brought a building boom, and all those new houses boasted every new amenity, especially in the bathroom.  As the decade began, these rooms sported gleaming white…

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Azaleas: ‘The flaming drama of the South’

  By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director Azaleas have been synonymous with Bellingrath Gardens and Home since its earliest beginnings in 1919, when Walter Bellingrath purchased what was then a rustic fishing camp on Fowl River. His wife, Bessie, who…

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Raising roses: Expert advice from Rosarian Linda Guy

By Sally Pearsall Ericson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations Linda Guy, longtime Rosarian at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, recently gave a presentation during the Winter Wednesdays series. Here are her suggestions for best practices in your rose garden.  For…

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