The South Capitol Neighborhood is home to many of Olympia’s most historic houses. But did you know that it is also home to one of the city’s most overlooked treasures, the Delbert McBride Ethnobotanical Garden?
Project Born From Tribal Cooperation
The garden is located on the grounds of the historic Lord Mansion. Built in 1923 by banker C.J. Lord (1863-1937), his widow Elizabeth donated the house to the state to be used as a museum. The State Capital Museum, opened in 1942, largely maintained the mansion’s original landscaping.
In 1991 the museum decided it was time to revamp their over 20-year-old Native American exhibits. Wanting to work in close cooperation with Native communities, they formed an advisory board made up of representatives from the Chehalis, Cowlitz, Nisqually, Puyallup, Skokomish, Squaxin, and Steilacoom tribes.
Calling themselves the American Indian Advisory Board, their collaboration resulted in the new permanent exhibit: “Traditions and Transitions.” “T & T” opened on March 5, 1992, to a packed crowd of 500.
“Still the project seemed incomplete,” Drew Crooks, curator of collections at the time, remembers. The advisory board proposed creating a “living exhibit” that would showcase the relationship between Native peoples and the environment. An “ethnobotanical garden,” they decided, featuring plants used for traditional food, medicine and more would engage the public in a way that static exhibits couldn’t.
Lord Mansion Museum Needs a Garden
The project was a labor of love for project director Drew Crooks. With a lifelong interest in Native plants and Indigenous culture, my father was the right man for the job.
Crooks was assisted by collections manager Melissa Parr and many volunteers. The project kicked off in late 1992/early 1993.
Picking a spot for the garden proved the easiest step. The mansion’s original Port Orford cedars had been recently removed on the south/back side of the building due to root rot. The garden would fill this empty spot—and was soon extended along the east side of the museum as well.
Community Fundraising for Garden at Lord Mansion
Planning for the garden was done by the Advisory Board. Community members and organizations also offered ideas. Landscape designers Karen Lohmann and Mark Osborne were hired to create final plans.
The project received no state or federal funding and was financed completely by donations. “We met many people who were sincerely interested in the garden,” Crooks explains. “It was truly a community effort.”
Eventually the team collected $25,000 in cash and in-kind donations. By late 1994 the project team had collected enough money to start construction.
Construction on Lord Mansion Garden Meets Roadblocks
Work was directed by Lohmann and Osborne. Construction quickly became tangled, however, Crooks elaborates. The cedars had been cut at ground level, leaving behind massive roots. A City of Olympia Public Works generously volunteered a heavy equipment crew to dig out the roots.
Another issue would prove an even bigger hurdle when a company that had agreed to install a zoned irrigation system for free had to back out at the last minute. “After much effort,” Crooks remembers, “another company was found which installed the irrigation system—but at market rates.”
As the project team searched for new donors, construction continued. Commemorative stone benches and accessible gravel paths were installed.
Crooks donated one bench himself, dedicated in memory of his parents who had passed away a few years before. Both had had a lifelong love of nature. Andy worked for the U.S. Forest Service and Arleen had volunteered at the museum.
Preparing the Ethnobotanical Garden at Lord Mansion
Planting began in Spring 1995. Evergreen State College ethnobotanical instructor Marja Eloheimo and her students secured and planted plants. This work was completed by July 1995. Crooks volunteered time to manage the sprinklers until plants became established. “The garden is now self-sustainable” Crooks says.
The project also produced the guidebook, “Respecting the Knowledge: Ethnobotany of Western Washington.” “The American Indian Advisory Board and museum staff always wanted the garden to be an educational center,” Crooks continues.
Angel Lombardi, an Evergreen (TESC) student, volunteered to write the 72-page book. Much of her information came from Hazel Pete, a Chehalis basketmaker. The book also includes an index of indigenous plant names in the many Native languages of Western Washington.
Rick Bayman donated photographs and TESC student Grant Ramsey provided plant drawings.
Ethnobotanical Garden at Lord Mansion Garden Dedicated to Historian
Installing the dedication plaque proved the final hurdle. “The plaque itself was warped,” Crooks laughs. “The stone had to be shaped to fit the plaque.”
The garden was dedicated on May 11, 1996 in conjunction with release of “Respecting the Knowledge: Ethnobotany of Western Washington” and opening of a new exhibit, “Ethnobotany: A Native Tradition.” Bruce Miller, a Skokomish cultural leader, gave a cooking demonstration.
Among the speakers was Del McBride. A historian and artist, Del was curator emeritus of the museum. Of part-Cowlitz/Quinault descent, the ethnobotany expert had been instrumental on the American Indian Advisory Board. The garden was named in his honor.
“Del passed away two years later,” Crooks remembers.
Maintaining the Lord Mansion Garden
Volunteers were key to the garden’s early years. The Washington Native Plant Society worked many hours. Crooks and his family have volunteered over the years as well.
The Washington State Historical Society permanently closed the State Capital Museum in 2016. A few years later TESC purchased the Lord Mansion as a rental venue. Due to a lack of legislative funding, the College will soon transfer ownership of the building to the Department of Enterprise Services.
Through all these changes, Crooks remains optimistic 30 years later. “The garden remains an appreciated green oasis in Olympia,” he declares. “Long may it thrive!”
