Clarence Somers interviewed by Dorothy Noble Smith and Jim Cotter, transcribed by Jeanette Shapiro, 1976

Creator:

Somers, Clarence O. (Clarence Otis), 1900-1986, Somers, Beulah Sours, 1902-1987, Smith, Dorothy Noble, 1915-1999, Cotter, Jim (James E.), and Shapiro, Jeanette

Scope and content:

Records an interview with Clarence Somers, who planted and maintained the Judd Gardens at Skyland Resort from 1922 to 1945. Judd Gardens were named for George and Marianna Judd of Washington, DC, who owned several lots and cabins at Skyland, including the land where the gardens were laid out in 1910. Mrs. Judd was allowed to remain at Skyland after the property was incorporated into Shenandoah National Park in 1936, until her death in 1958. The gardens were abandoned by order of the National Park Service in 1945. The interview consists chiefly of comparisons of plants and trees found at during a recent botanical survey of the site of the gardens, conducted by Jim Cotter of the National Park Service, with Mr. Somers' recollection of the garden plantings through 1945. Comments by a woman identified only as Mrs. Somers, (believed to be Beulah V. Somers, (née Sours)), occur throughout the interview, as do references to George F. Pollock, owner of Skyland Resort.

Names:

Somers, Clarence O. (Clarence Otis), 1900-1986
Somers, Beulah Sours, 1902-1987
Smith, Dorothy Noble, 1915-1999
Cotter, Jim (James E.)
Shapiro, Jeanette

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