Missouri Botanical Garden, also known as Shaw's Garden offers a unique opportunity to see plants from around the world in a unique environment. Garden is located in the heart of St. Louis, the city is still isolated from the surrounding noise and bustle. Like many of the zoo to promote research and education, and the plants are arranged in some parts of the climate and country / region of origin. Although many of the plants are growing outside, some need more place special climate-controlled greenhouses.
Missouri Botanical Garden was started in 1857 by Henry Shaw, English and immigrant entrepreneurs. Henry was born July 24, 1800 in Sheffield, England, a city known for its coal and metals industries. He showed interest in flowers and gardens, a very young age. Henry's father and a partner started its manufacturing hardware that flourished for some time. When the company began losing money, Henry returned to help his father. Soon the duo decided to journey into the New World to seek new opportunities.
Two sent to some of the tools and equipment cutlery from England, and decided to settle in Quebec, Canada. The transport of goods had been lost, and his father sent him to New Orleans to find and learn how to grow cotton. Henry found the transmission, but the market for the goods in New Orleans was saturated, and she did not like the weather. He brought his goods internal limit of the solution with the steamship St. Louis.
When he arrived in St. Louis, the city was only about 50 years and has remained much as it was founded by Pierre Laclede. Stretching miles along the river, but it was only three blocks deep. Activities of Henry thrived, and when he sold the equipment, instruments and tools for city residents, farmers, soldiers, and are heading west. He was soon to bring a variety of products from England. In 1839, Henry Shaw, made a huge profit of $ 25,000 and decided to sell the first good business opportunity.
At the age of 40 years, Shaw sold his company for $ 250,000 and withdrew. He had many years of life and traveled to Europe several times over the next ten years. His travels were part of its agreement with the tradition of being an English gentleman, which means they must be exposed to the arts and cultures of Europe. While he was away, his sister took over the finances and property in San Luis. He began buying land in central and southern St. Louis with his fortune. Henry house was built at the corner of Seventh and Locust St. Louis and home to the farm field was built in 1849. It soon became known as Tower Grove House for its tower and grove. To date, the park surrounding neighborhood and the nearby town known as Tower Grove. Henry went abroad for the last time in 1851 to visit the first World Exposition (also known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition) in London.
While Henry was in England, he attended the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens and Chatsworth, home of the Duke of Devonshire. This planted the idea in his head that he could create his own garden, when he returned home, where Henry was land and money for such a project. He began to feel the authorities in a botanical garden in the world and began his garden in 1857. He outlined the plans and started planting thousands of trees and other plants on its 80 acres of land in South St. Louis properties. He also started a library and flora (a collection of specimens of dried plants) in the same year. Some of his collection Herbarium was also imported from Germany.
Henry wanted the garden to be used for display, research and education, a philosophy that has followed the garden. Such limits of the difference between an ordinary garden botanical garden. A botanical garden is essentially identical to a zoo, except that it is plants rather than animals. In 1859, Henry opened the garden to the public six days a week and two Sundays a year.
The future of the garden and its financing was threatened in 1859 when Effie Carstang Shaw sued for breach of promise. Shaw said he had promised to marry, but then refused. Carstang originally received a $ 100 000, but the situation was reversed after an appeal. If the decision is reversed, the plans for the garden could have been reduced due to lack of funds.
Shaw never married, because he considered the garden of life. Throughout the rest of his life, Shaw was known as a generous man to the community. He donated the land that now contains Tower Grove Park in the city of St. Louis and sponsored programs and art in the park. Later, he started a school of botany at the University of Washington. Before his death, Shaw created a charitable trust to ensure that the garden will continue long after his death. I was worried placed in the garden of a person or government agency, and that could alter the purpose or direct sale to the garden to save or make money.
Before his death, Shaw was a mausoleum built in the garden of the property. When he died in 1889, Shaw was buried inside the statue itself horizontally near Tower Grove House. He continued to stand here today. Shaw's will dictated that his home near Downtown transferred to the garden. The house has been carefully removed piece by piece and moved. After moving to the city building includes administrative and research institutes.
The original Tower Grove House is designed to Shaw, who was single. When the new manager and his family moved into the house was expanded to almost double its original size. Relatively few changes were made at home after this addition. In the late 1890s, was a plan for a major expansion presented and approved. This expansion includes the creation of a pond and creating a North American department in the garden, but also a great westward expansion. Finally, the pond and the North American branch created, but the westward expansion never took place. The large pond is now part of the Japanese garden.
During the 1920 and 30 pollution, coal soot threat collections of several gardens. The contamination was common during the industrial revolution and the Royal Botanic Gardens, near London had to go beyond their home collections. The Garden of monitoring the quality of air and tried to fight pollution by filtering and political encouragement. Some land in the city was sold to raise money to buy land away from city pollution. Many collections were to be moved to the new location. A site was chosen near Gray Summit, MO and soon became known as the Shaw Arboretum. Sensitive orchids have been transferred to the new location first and clear the contamination before the cancellation of plans to move to other collections. In 2000, the Shaw Arboretum was named Shaw Nature Reserve. This area now consists of 2,500 hectares.
About the same time, the garden began collecting samples from various parts of the world and known naturalist John Muir as they have been consulted. The garden has stopped collecting and try to keep the plant species in the world and has since become a respected botanical garden in the world. The gardens are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
