Eatonville Roots: A ‘Soil Bank’ with 300+ years of Deposits”

December 27, 2012No CommentRead More

Horticulture, agriculture, and gardening have played a part in virtually every year of the town’s [Eatonville's] life. . . . Eatonville’s garden legacy can be authentically traced directly to Dr. Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, and a small rare group of local African American horticulturists. Documentation of the simple physical existence of an historic African American community is exceptionally difficult, at best. Documentation of the origins of the gardening philosophies, practices and techniques of an historic African American community is nothing short of miraculous. But this fact serves to expand interpretation of African American gardens beyond the simple stereotype of “folk garden” or “folk landscape.” . . . The gardening philosophies and techniques were formally taught in classes (vocational) in Eatonville at the Robert Hungerford Industrial School, and in practical home demonstrations with residents in the community. These lessons have been passed from one generation to the next for more than a century. Eatonville’s collective gardening wisdom is as deep and rich as any community in America. Eatonville’s gardening wisdom is now second nature.