History

1914 – 1924

  • Founded August, 1914
  • Joined Garden Club of America, June 1915
  • Held first Flower Show open to public at the East Hampton Library
  • Improved the appearance of the Railroad Station
  • Distributed leaflets on “Duties of Women in War Time” during WW I

1925 – 1934

  • Undertook civic planting at the Library, Mulford Farm and local schools
  • Made efforts to save historic willow and pepperidge trees
  • Fought billboards in the Village of East Hampton
  • Mrs. Ruger Donoho donated eight acres to begin the Village’s Nature Trail in 1934.
  • Mrs. Lorenzo Woodhouse loaned an 10 additional acres contiguous to the Nature Trail.

1935 – 1944

  • Mrs. Woodhouse loaned more land to GCEH for the Nature Trail.
  • For 8 years starting in 1934, Club members worked, laying out paths, planting wildflowers, clearing debris and labeling trees and shrubs. Finally, in 1942, we opened the Nature Trail to the public.
  • Contributed to GCA’s “Gardens on Parade” at the 1938 World’s Fair.
  • Organized Victory Gardens during WW II and worked with the Red Cross.
  • Ran house tours for war relief and decorated servicemen’s clubs.
  • Led Village vote to use tax money to replant trees lost in 1938 hurricane.
  • Fought the establishment of gas stations on Main Street.

1945 – 1954

  • Joined with other local Garden Clubs to landscape a Veterans Hospital.
  • Won 1st prize for “Horticultural Interest” at the International Flower Show.
  • Became concerned with ragweed elimination and topsoil conservation.
  • GCEH owned and managed the Nature Trail from its opening in 1942 until 1951, when the Village assumed ownership of the property with GCEH acting as a consultant to the Village Board in its management. In subsequent years a joint committee was formed to oversee the Nature Trail that included the LVIS, the Eastern Gate Garden Club and a Parks Commission.
  • Decorated many historic sites for 300th Anniversary of East Hampton Town.

1955 – 1964

  • Sponsored Children’s Flower Show with Eastern Gate Garden Club
  • Planted shrubs around the new Children’s Wing of the Library
  • Held an open conservation meeting for Village officials and others

1965 – 1974

  • Worked with the LVIS to save the Reutershan Parking Lot trees
  • Added oxygenating plants and improved drainage at the Nature Trail
  • Amended our Constitution and became a tax exempt organization

  • Held first spring Garden Mart to benefit the East Hampton Library by raising money to support lawn and landscape care on the Library grounds
  • Promoted awareness of environmental problems:  pollution, land sub-division, offshore drilling and depleted ozone in the atmosphere

1975 – 1984

  • Celebrated our 60th anniversary in 1975
  • Established May Garden Mart as our annual fundraising activity
  • Renovated the Mulford Farm Garden for nation’s Bicentennial
  • Participated in the Village’s Parade for the Bicentennial
  • Developed consciousness of acid rain, real estate over-development, pollution from toxic sprays and fertilizers, wetlands destruction and Dutch Elm disease
  • Protected wildflowers along village roads with Do Not Mow signage
  • Adopted the endangered wild Northern Pitcher Plant as our “native plant”

1985 – 1994

  • Designed and dedicated the Grace Lee Roberts Garden at the Library
  • Started an annual Boys Harbor program on horticulture and conservation
  • Designed and planted a Native Plant Garden at Clinton Academy
  • Researched and planted historic Rachel’s Garden at Mulford Farm
  • Worked with The Nature Conservancy to protect Piping Plovers and Least Terns
  • Established annual East Hampton High School environmental scholarship
  • Held a public forum on acid rain at the East Hampton High School
  • Co-sponsored public seminar on “Protecting Long Island Wild Flowers and
    Habitats”
  • Relandscaped the East Hampton Railroad Station

1995 – 2005

  • Designed and planted a Courtyard Garden at newly expanded Library
  • Collaborated with East Hampton Department of Natural Resources on the Hook Creek Watershed analysis project
  • Donated funds for purchase of Accabonac Harbor wetlands to South Fork
  • Nature Conservancy for GCA Project 2000
  • Participated in the Town’s 350th Anniversary Parade
  • Established our annual Garden Mart fundraising event
  • Designed and planted the grounds at the East Hampton Post Office

2006 – 2018

  • Held a public conservation forum on “How Green Can We Be” at the East Hampton Middle School
  • Designed and planted The Janice S. Brightwell Heritage Apple Trees at Mulford Farm
  • Hosted the GCA Zone III Meeting with Flower Show at the Maidstone Club
  • Established Drug Disposal Days in partnership with White’s Pharmacy to combat pollution of our sole source aquifer
  • Designed and planted The Millstone Garden
  • Celebrated our Club’s Centennial with a GCA Flower Show and Garden Party at Mulford Farm. Commemorative GCEH Centennial benches were placed at The Millstone Garden
  • Designed and planted The Pollinator Garden at East Hampton Town Hall
  • Received NY Flora Association’s Native Plant Conservationist Award for our GCA Partners for Plants project at Barnes Hole Road to revive the existing but threatened population of Platanthera ciliaris, the yellow fringed orchid
  • Dedicated a GCEH bench at East Hampton’s 9/11 Memorial Survivors’ Tree
  • Designed and planted The Mary Nimmo Moran Garden