Memorial Garden in Columbia, SC

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of "Making It Grow" Amanda McNulty talks with Peggy Little of the Garden Club of South Carolina about the Memorial Garden. The Memorial Garden in Columbia, SC which adjoins the Governor’s Complex is the only property owned by The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc. In 1945 Sarah Boylston deeded part of her personal garden to the GCSC to become the first Memorial Garden in the United States to honor World War II veterans. Elizabeth Guignard Guion (GCSC president 1944-46 from Camden) commissioned noted Landscape Architect, Loutrel Briggs of Charleston and Doylestown, Pennsylvania to draw a plan for the garden. With voluntary dues of $.15 per member per year and the support of the Veterans’ Committee, generous businesses, the city of Columbia and $2000 plus convict labor from the state, work began that same year. The garden continued to evolve over time. Benches and garden statuary were given by individual garden clubs and districts. The fountain was completed in 1950 and the last major structure, the gate house, was completed in 1957.