93 
"Kreigsheim," the beautiful estate of Dr. George 
Woodward is located upon the southern slope of Bechtel's 
Hill, overlooking Cresheim Valley, and through the liberality 
of its owner, the park and its gardens are open to the public. 
Here history and tradition with art and nature combine to 
make the place ideal, and one of our richest displays is its 
wall garden in early Spring. 
"Compton," whose striking garden was started by John 
T. Morris with the assistance of Charles H. Miller, has 
been so extended and changed that its original lines have 
became negative in the enlargement. It is a Japanese 
Garden of the highest type and among local gardens it is 
first. For extent, variety, floral wealth, artistic decorations, 
no private garden in Philadelphia is its equal, and amid 
historic associations it is situated upon the southern edge of 
beautiful Whitemarsh Valley, bordering upon Wissahickon 
Creek. Frank Gould is gardener in charge. 
Beyond "Compton," and a worthy finish to our floral 
territory, are Andorra Nurseries," composed of iooo acres 
of hardy plants, which in immense number and variety give 
life to the landscape, clothe both banks of Wissahickon 
Creek, decorate the portals of Wissahickon Ravine, and top 
our northern-most boundary with dazzling displays of floral 
energy, — excepting only Fairmount Park, — they forming the 
most extensive, the most satisfying, the most stimulating of 
our gardens, for here under an unobstructed sky, innocent of 
"art," they stand in a region teeming with romance and 
history, with "Ridge" and Wissahickon and Whitemarsh 
Valleys contributing their marvellous treasures of expanse, of 
light, of life, — wonderfully unique, the most complete com- 
bination of nature's gifts I know, the whole a constant 
incomparable panorama of spiritual favors so inspiring, that 
"dull would he be" who before them does not feel the 
presence of the Infinite. 
But few may know that the credit of procuring our 
greatest garden belongs to Germantown, and that Charles 
Shearer Keyser, lawyer, writer, public speaker, born at 6211 
