Saturday, May 14, 2022
Although organized by our head beekeeper, Jane C, she was unable to go on the field trip to the Acts affiliate, The Evergreens, in Moorestown, NJ. We met with resident George B, who heads The Evergreens Garden and Greenhouse Committee. In addition to gaining information about beekeeping, we were able to see much of the Acts community, and the town of Moorestown as well!
The Evergreens is a gated community located on 32 acres with about 200 independent living apartments, 66 assisted living apartments, and 34 beds in skilled nursing.
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| The Evergreens main entrance |
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Gardner Hall (1953) is one of the earliest buildings
on the campus; there is also a dedicated chapel |
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| The Great Hall |
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A model of The Evergreens with a
time capsule in a model of the first building |
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Dining room is divided into several small rooms,
one with a buffet |
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| Another of the dining rooms |
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The "Key Club" room with lockers for residents to
keep bottles of wine; it will become the Bistro
duirng the ongoing renovations |
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| The current "bistro" |
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| The auditorium |
The library and beauty salon were closed due to renovations.
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| The Evergreens swimming pool (no windows to the outside) |
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| Fitness room |
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| A central courtyard contains a putting green and bocce court |
The woodshop was locked up.
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| Craft room and art studio |
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| This is The Evergreens version of the 50th Anniversary house |
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| There is a pond with catch-and-release fishing |
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Carol C is with George under the trumpet vine arbor,
funded by the Garden & Greenhouse Committee, which
is not only self-sustaining, but able to make donations (KSS) |
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The Evergreens gardeners grow everything from vegetables,
to annual and perennial flowers, and herbs, which
they sell, including bouquets of cut flowers for visitors |
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Eloise, a local beekeeper is the person to handle their
four hives, and she harvests the raw honey |
The Garden and Greenhouse Committee process the honey and sell it in 24-ounce jars (2 pounds of honey). They also have small jars with an Acts label so that honey can be given as gifts to prospective residents.
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| George B, Tamiko, Lois J, and Carol C (KSS) |
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| Carol C, Tamiko, George B, Lois J (KSS) |
George climbed in the middle of the back seat to guide us on a tour of Moorestown, passing pollinator fields and local landmarks, while citing the history of Eldridge Johnson who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA Victor in 1901. He was responsible for financing the construction of several buildings in town, including the first building on the Evergreens property that became a home for single and widowed women.
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Eldridge Johnson also anonymously
financed the Trinity Episcopal Church (1929,
by Karcher & Smith, in Rural Gothic style) |
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| The church has a lovely cloister garden |
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| Cloister garden |
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| Amsonia/Blue Stars |
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| It began to rain |
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Our next stop was the St Matthew Lutheran Church (1950)
and its Memorial Courtyard where the cremated remains
of church members may be buried |
By now it began raining in earnest, and we returned to The Evergreens for lunch provided by George B.
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In the morning we could not see much due to thick fog, and on
our way home the fog had lifted to the top of the "skyscrapers" |
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