74 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



wick's death, to the depredations of every passerby. The 

 rare herbaceous and woody plants were uprooted and cut 

 ruthlessly by local botanists, who carried away many rare 

 plants in making herbarium specimens. The ground 

 beneatli the trees, in 1889, was covered by a luxuriant 

 growtli of many kinds of shrubs and herbaceous plants. 

 The published accounts in the newspapers, of the pict- 

 uresqueness of the old place, increased the number of visitors, 

 who tramped down the plants and walked through the 

 shrubbery, where before it was almost impossible to pass. 

 The fields and meadow land was rented out by the Eastwick 

 heirs for farming purposes, the farmer occupying the old 

 Bartram House. City Councils, through the energy of ]\Ir. 

 Thomas Meehan, in 1889 placed upon the city plan the 

 following small parks : Stenton Park, Bartram's Garden, 

 Weccacoe's Square, North wood and Juniata Parks. "^ The 

 place was secured by the city in the early part of 1891, 

 through the untiring energ}^ of Mr. jMeehan, who at one 

 time had charge as head gardener of the old place under 

 Ui\ Eastwick. 



The original garden comprised about five acres, begin- 

 ning on the higher ground, a short distance west of the 

 house, and extended beyond it toward the river. All of 

 this land is included in the tract of about twelve acres, pur- 

 chased by the City of Philadelphia. The city now owns, 



* An Ordinance to appropriate for park purposes the land contained within 

 the boundaries of Bartram's Garden, in the Twenty-seventh Ward ; and Juniata 

 Park, in the Twentj^-fifth Ward; and Northwood Park, in the Twenty-third Ward. 



Section 1, The Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia do 

 ordain that the land within the boundaries of Bartram's Garden, in the Twenty- 

 seventh Ward, containing about eleven (U) acres, situated as follows : Bounded by 

 Fifty-third Street, Eastwick Avenue, Fifty-fourth Street, and low water-mark of the 

 Schuylkill River, excepting the right of way of the Chester Branch of the Philadel- 

 phia and Reading Railroad, etc., is hereby appropriated for park purposes, and the 

 Mayor is hereby authorized and directed to agree, if possible, with the owners of said 

 land as to the price of the same, subject to the approval of Councils. 



