![]() ![]() Wing Haven hires its first Director/Curator. The Wing Haven Nursery Shop opens for business. to preserve and protect their garden.Įlizabeth Clarkson receives an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Queens College. The Clarksons form the Wing Haven Foundation, Inc. Rachel Carson publishes A Silent Spring.(EPA bans the widespread use of DDT in 1972.) The Dowd Press publishes The Birds of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina written by Elizabeth Clarkson.Įlizabeth Clarkson documents the effects of DDT on birds and succeeds in having the spray halted in Charlotte.Īrguing that the value of DDT exceeds its potential harm, the City of Charlotte resumes spraying DDT but agrees not to spray along Ridgewood Avenue. Tommy will live in the Clarkson home for 8 years.Įlizabeth Clarkson forms the Mecklenburg Audubon Society. The Clarksons rescue a family of baby bluebirds: Tommy, Lady, Little Fellow and Snuggler. While recuperating from undulant fever Elizabeth Clarkson begins to study ornithology. The Clarksons marry and settle into their new home at 248 Ridgewood Avenue. (Within 10 years Clarkson purchases all of the vacant adjoining property, almost 3 acres.) While working for Wellington Sears Company of Boston, Eddie Clarkson meets Elizabeth Barnhill, a student at the New England Conservatory of Music.Įlizabeth Barnhill completes her studies at the New England Conservatory and begins performing as a concert pianist.Įdwin Clarkson purchases a small lot (75’ x 225’) on Ridgewood Avenue and drives to Uvalde, TX to propose to Elizabeth Barnhill. and Mary Lee Crisp Barnhill in Uvalde, TXĮdwin Clarkson receives a BS in Engineering from NC State College of Agriculture. ![]() Today, the Wing Haven Foundation is a non-profit organization that owns and operates Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary, Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden, and the SEED Wildlife & Children’s Garden.Įdwin Osborne is born to Justice Heriot and Mary Osborne (Mamie) Clarkson in Charlotte, NC Since that time, our Board of Directors has been responsible for maintaining the property in keeping with the Clarksons’ spirit and intent. In 1971, they generously gifted their gardens to the Foundation. To ensure the preservation and maintenance of their gardens indefinitely, the Clarksons formed the Wing Haven Foundation in 1970. To date, including those noted by Elizabeth Clarkson in her journals, over 150 bird species have been spotted here. In 1944, she compiled these observations in the self-published Birds of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, a comprehensive guide to local and migratory birds. For years, Elizabeth Clarkson kept a journal, noting every species of bird she nursed back to health or saw in her garden. In 1940, Elizabeth Clarkson helped found the Mecklenburg Audubon Society, an organization still involved with Wing Haven today. Plaques and statuary, integrated into the garden walls and paths, were carefully chosen over 44 years by Elizabeth Clarkson, and reflect the spirit, beauty, dedication, and passion of Wing Haven and its creators. Over many years, on anniversaries, birthdays, or any old occasion, the Clarksons gifted each other with a thousand bricks at a time (350,000 bricks in total) to complete their vision. Building the walls and paths was slow-going. The gardens are enclosed on all sides by brick walls, and brick paths anchor vistas throughout. There are formal areas, an herb garden, and woodlands with meandering paths. Pools, fountains, and numerous birdbaths provide fresh water. Throughout, plantings offer interest in all seasons as well as cover, nesting sites, and food for feathered friends. The Clarksons skillfully designed their gardens with beauty and birds in mind. Certainly, the Clarksons were visionaries. Between 19, Eddie Clarkson purchased a total of eleven parcels as they could be afforded, and the gardens grew to nearly three acres. Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood just three miles from Charlotte’s bustling center city, it’s hard to imagine this was once a wide open field of red clay. Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary has been a special part of Charlotte since its creation by Elizabeth and Edwin O. ![]()
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