About our Garden

"The 1812 Garden"

Hamilton College

The reconstruction of an early-19th c. kitchen garden on the campus of Hamilton College is the "laboratory" project of College Seminar 235 " Food for Thought: The Science, Culture, and Politics of Food". "The "founding" garden, planted on May 14, 2008, is the result of the research endeavors of the Spring 08 seminar sections, taught by Prof. David Gapp (Biology) and Prof. Franklin Sciacca (Russian Studies). "The 1812 Garden" also functions as one of the activities organized in celebration of the upcoming bicentennial of the College in 2012.

The goals of the ongoing garden project are to identify the specific varietals of food crops typical for the period in Central NY; acquisition of heirloom seeds of these varieties; and study of the planting techniques of early Federal New York State”including the techniques and crops adapted from the Oneida Indians and other local indigenous tribes. In the Fall 08 seminar, attention will be paid to harvest techniques and early methods of food preservation.

"The 1812 Garden" is an integral part of the "Food for Thought" seminar, offering historical and cultural perspectives on sustainability in the following ways:

as a uniquely hands-on experience in sustainability involving direct interaction with nature
as an opportunity for experiential learning focused on discovering how early 19th century New Yorkers sustained themselves and built community in a wilderness environment
as an opportunity to examine the evolution of agricultural practice, from small, local farms based on diverse crops to industrial agriculture characterized by monoculture.
as a laboratory for ongoing projects in sustainability

"The 1812 Garden" has been generously funded by the Emerson Fund for Faculty Innovation (Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty) and the Levitt Center. The garden project is affiliated with the Levitt Centers Sustainability Program. The garden is located within the Hamilton College Community Farm Garden, which was initiated with a generous grant from the Office of President Joan H. Stewart.

We are also grateful to many members of the Hamilton College community, heritage farmers and seed savers, and numerous museums. In particular we would like to acknowledge the assistance and support of:

Glynis Asu, Reference Librarian, Burke Library, Hamilton College
Will Bonsall, Director of the Scatterseed Project and Curator of Seed Savers Exchange
Katherine Collett, Assistant Archivist, Burke Library, Hamilton College
Bryan Connolly, seed saver from whom were able to acquire Native varietals of corn and beans
Ed Crane Jr., local farmer who plowed our field, enriched our soil, and offered excellent practical advice
Donald Croft, Grounds Services Manager, Hamilton College
Donald Gilliland, seed saver affiliated with Seed Savers Exchange, from who we were able to acquire early varieties of potatoes, barley, peas, and beans
Terry Hawkridge, Assistant Director of Grounds, Horticulture and Arboretum, Hamilton College
Christie Higginbottom, Research Historian, Horticulture and Landscape Specialist at Old Sturbridge Village (Mass.)
Fran Lallier, local heirloom vegetable enthusiast who has won numerous prizes for his crops at Old Sturbridge Village competitions
Patrick MacGregor, herb horticulturist at the Farmers Museum (Cooperstown, NY)
Mike Mahanna, Grounds Foreperson, Hamilton College
Jim Manning, Farm Business Management Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension - Oneida County
Gwen Miner, the hops specialist at the Farmers Museum (Cooperstown, NY)
Lynn Mayo, Reference Librarian, Burke Library, Hamilton College
Tom Porter, Mohawk Nation
Carl Rosenfield, Instructional Technology Specialist, Hamilton College, who created this website
Krista Siniscarco, Instructional Technology Specialist, Hamilton College, who created the graphics for this website
Ted Skenandore, Agricultural Supervisor at Tsyunhehkwa Center, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin ¦and many others

The garden is located in the northwest corner of the Hamilton College Community Farm Garden, which is situated beyond the parking lot behind Ferguson and Woollcott Houses.
You can find a map of the campus at http://www.hamilton.edu/applications/campus_tour/map.html.
Feel free to enter the garden grounds and look around. "The 1812 Garden" is surrounded by a split-rail fence.

For further information, please contact:
Franklin Sciacca fsciacca@hamilton.edu or David Gapp dgapp@hamilton.edu

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Our Garden Our Crops Our Research Our Blog Course Syllabus Guestbook About our Garden "The 1812 Garden" Hamilton College The reconstruction of an early-19th c. kitchen garden on the campus of Hamilton College is the "laboratory" project of College Seminar 235 " Food for Thought: The Science, Culture, and Politics of Food". "The "founding" garden, planted on May 14, 2008, is the result of the research endeavors of the Spring 08 seminar sections, taught by Prof. David Gapp (Biology) and Prof. Franklin Sciacca (Russian Studies). "The 1812 Garden" also functions as one of the activities organized in celebration of the upcoming bicentennial of the College in 2012. The goals of the ongoing garden project are to identify the specific varietals of food crops typical for the period in Central NY; acquisition of heirloom seeds of these varieties; and study of the planting techniques of early Federal New York State”including the techniques and crops adapted from the Oneida Indians and other local indigenous tribes. In the Fall 08 seminar, attention will be paid to harvest techniques and early methods of food preservation. "The 1812 Garden" is an integral part of the "Food for Thought" seminar, offering historical and cultural perspectives on sustainability in the following ways: as a uniquely hands-on experience in sustainability involving direct interaction with nature as an opportunity for experiential learning focused on discovering how early 19th century New Yorkers sustained themselves and built community in a wilderness environment as an opportunity to examine the evolution of agricultural practice, from small, local farms based on diverse crops to industrial agriculture characterized by monoculture. as a laboratory for ongoing projects in sustainability "The 1812 Garden" has been generously funded by the Emerson Fund for Faculty Innovation (Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty) and the Levitt Center. The garden project is affiliated with the Levitt Centers Sustainability Program. The garden is located within the Hamilton College Community Farm Garden, which was initiated with a generous grant from the Office of President Joan H. Stewart. We are also grateful to many members of the Hamilton College community, heritage farmers and seed savers, and numerous museums. In particular we would like to acknowledge the assistance and support of: Glynis Asu, Reference Librarian, Burke Library, Hamilton College Will Bonsall, Director of the Scatterseed Project and Curator of Seed Savers Exchange Katherine Collett, Assistant Archivist, Burke Library, Hamilton College Bryan Connolly, seed saver from whom were able to acquire Native varietals of corn and beans Ed Crane Jr., local farmer who plowed our field, enriched our soil, and offered excellent practical advice Donald Croft, Grounds Services Manager, Hamilton College Donald Gilliland, seed saver affiliated with Seed Savers Exchange, from who we were able to acquire early varieties of potatoes, barley, peas, and beans Terry Hawkridge, Assistant Director of Grounds, Horticulture and Arboretum, Hamilton College Christie Higginbottom, Research Historian, Horticulture and Landscape Specialist at Old Sturbridge Village (Mass.) Fran Lallier, local heirloom vegetable enthusiast who has won numerous prizes for his crops at Old Sturbridge Village competitions Patrick MacGregor, herb horticulturist at the Farmers Museum (Cooperstown, NY) Mike Mahanna, Grounds Foreperson, Hamilton College Jim Manning, Farm Business Management Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension - Oneida County Gwen Miner, the hops specialist at the Farmers Museum (Cooperstown, NY) Lynn Mayo, Reference Librarian, Burke Library, Hamilton College Tom Porter, Mohawk Nation Carl Rosenfield, Instructional Technology Specialist, Hamilton College, who created this website Krista Siniscarco, Instructional Technology Specialist, Hamilton College, who created the graphics for this website Ted Skenandore, Agricultural Supervisor at Tsyunhehkwa Center, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin ¦and many others The garden is located in the northwest corner of the Hamilton College Community Farm Garden, which is situated beyond the parking lot behind Ferguson and Woollcott Houses. You can find a map of the campus at http://www.hamilton.edu/applications/campus_tour/map.html. Feel free to enter the garden grounds and look around. "The 1812 Garden" is surrounded by a split-rail fence. For further information, please contact: Franklin Sciacca fsciacca@hamilton.edu or David Gapp dgapp@hamilton.edu
Copyright © 2008 The Trustees of Hamilton College. All rights reserved.