Garden club marks 80 years of bringing beauty to Carrollton

Seated on the back porch of the museum, a few drops of rain threatened then disappeared. Having the celebration at the McCook House Museum was appropriate as the club has a long history with the museum. The club’s 70th anniversary luncheon was also held at the McCook House in 2012.

The luncheon meeting was catered by The Grand Tea Room of Carrollton. Guest speaker was Dr. Carl Winters who spoke on the history of the Van Horne building. 

Kathy Horn, curator of the McCook House Museum, displayed a collection of garden club scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contain photographs, club booklets for each year, invoices and more. 

A collection of handwritten reminders/invitations to meetings at club members’ homes are saved, along with newspaper articles and obituaries of members. 

The Carrollton Garden Club was organized and federated in 1942 by Betty Findlay. She served as the first president of the club in 1943. Along with Findlay, the other charter members included Ethel Amstutz, Norma Dowell, Helen Evans, Bea Hall, Mary Hall, Marie Lincke, Dorothy Saltsman, Martha Saltsman and Gloria Swartz. Lincke took over as president in 1944. 

The first officers included Findlay, president; Lincke, vice president; Swartz, secretary; and Amstutz, treasurer. 

Carrollton Garden Club spent the 1970s planting and beautifying the area and winning awards for their projects.

A Sept. 16, 1976, article in a scrapbook, noted the club won its first beautification award for the 1976 landscaping project in front of the “new security building” (county jail). The Canton Regional Garden Center sponsored the contest.  Bette Anders was the chairman for the project. The committee consisted of Lincke, Betty Lord and Mary Favri. There were 37 members in the club. Barbara Atchison, a former president of the club, was the regional director of the Canton Garden Center. Joyce Hannon won second place in the district for her front yard improvement during that year. The district consisted of 70 clubs with 2,300 members from Stark, Summit, Wayne, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. 

A May 20, 1976, article showed the project work was completed by Gooding’s Nursery at Sherrodsville and was financed by proceeds from the garden club’s annual bazaar and fund-raising events.

The club also won first place in the Canton Garden Center Beautification contest for the Dogwood ’77 Project and third in the state. Evelyn Ashton served as chairman of the committee. The club purchased 322 Dogwood trees (153 pink, 169 white) and sold 245 to private individuals and organizations. The remaining 77 trees were planted on public property, including 34 at the fairgrounds. According to the article, 70 clubs participated in the beautification contest. 

In 1972, planters were installed on parking meters. The wrought iron brackets were attached by members of the Carrollton Fire Department and filled with petunias donated by Carrollton Greenhouse. Members planted evergreens in front of the secretary’s building and other trees at the county fairgrounds. The club made numerous plantings at the McCook House and planted a white flowering crab on the lawn of the courthouse. 

Member Ruth Ann Capper created a booklet containing a brief history of the club and presented to members at the anniversary luncheon.  

In 1945, council approved the club’s request to remove the bandstand, the roll of honor stone and the WWI cannon so they could seed the area for grass and install a system of walks and have the center area designed for speakers and band concerts. 

1950s & 1960s

The first flower show was held at the Ohio Power building in 1951 with 130 entries. Over the years, they hosted 39 flower shows, held in the high school cafeteria, McCook House, at the fairgrounds, Algonquin Mill, Masonic Temple and Myers Tin Shop.

Arda Sheats was the first member to serve as president two consecutive years, serving in 1952 and 1953.

Findlay, then of Canton, entertained a tea for the club’s 10th anniversary in 1952. During the 1950s, members holding the office of club president had last names such as Gotschall, Sweeney, Croskey, Poplin and Dowell, among others. 

Evelyn Ashton was elected president for 1961 and served in the position again in 1972 and 1973. 

Welcome signs were placed at the Carrollton city limits in 1960. Carrollton held its sesquicentennial (150 years) celebration in 1965. Garden club members conducted a strolling flower show throughout the downtown area, carrying baskets of colorful flowers. 

1970s -1990s

In 1978, the club erected new welcome signs at the corporation limits. Barbara Atchison, who served as club president in 1970, served as the Canton regional director, becoming the first Carrollton Garden Club member to serve as a state officer. 

In the 1980s, the club continued the 30-year tradition of packing cookies for shut-ins and planted new shrubbery in front of Carroll Hills Workshop. Evelyn Price served as chairperson for the project, which won first place as a beautification project. 

Current member Ann Saltsman was president in 1983-1984 and Sonny Swartz 1987-1988.

The McCook House celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1983. The club furnished floral arrangements on the weekends and for special occasions, an ongoing project since the 1960s. 

Beautification projects continued in 1990, with the club focusing on plantings at the railroad depot and the Carroll County Arts Center. Club members served refreshments at the McCook House for the Heritage Days festival and had 26 entries in the flower show held at the McCook House. 

2000s

As a new millennium began, the club decorated their first tree at Holly Pine Lane at the Canton Garden Center in 2003. The club also worked with residents at Carroll Golden Age Retreat to bring flowers to them. 

The club continued its beautification of downtown areas including the Post Office, Arts Center, Public Square, Hospice Browse N Buy (former 2nd St. location), railroad depot McCook House, doing planting and maintenance. 

Carrollton Garden Club partnered with the Suburban Garden Club for the dedication of the Blue Star Marker on the top of Public Square. The Blue Star program is a program through the National Garden Clubs to honor all men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Services. 

The clubs held a combined meeting in 2017 to learn about growing grapes.

 Janet Weir Creighton presented at program “Dining with the President” in 2018. Club members visited area gardens, learned summer garden maintenance and held meetings at the Ashton House Museum when able during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2022

The theme for 2022 is “Work together – Learn together.” Officers include Mary Huffman and Darlene Smith, co-presidents; Joyce Ferguson, secretary; and Vickie Reed, treasurer. Board members are Ruth Ann Capper, Nellie Nye and Vernice Pearson.

Other club members include Ben and Marvel Boggess, Shirley Campbell, Judith Eynon, Earl Ferguson,  Sue Henderson, Kathy Horn, Ursula Lincoln, Ann Saltsman and Sonny Swartz.  New members include Isaac Brumm, Sue Crano, Jennifer Flannery, Heidi Lafferty and Sandy Myers

Members of the Carrollton Garden Club gathered at the McCook House Museum June 6 to celebrate the club’s 80th anniversary.

Seated on the back porch of the museum, a few drops of rain threatened then disappeared. Having the celebration at the McCook House Museum was appropriate as the club has a long history with the museum. The club’s 70th anniversary luncheon was also held at the McCook House in 2012.

The luncheon meeting was catered by The Grand Tea Room of Carrollton. Guest speaker was Dr. Carl Winters who spoke on the history of the Van Horne building. 

Kathy Horn, curator of the McCook House Museum, displayed a collection of garden club scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contain photographs, club booklets for each year, invoices and more. 

A collection of handwritten reminders/invitations to meetings at club members’ homes are saved, along with newspaper articles and obituaries of members. 

The Carrollton Garden Club was organized and federated in 1942 by Betty Findlay. She served as the first president of the club in 1943. Along with Findlay, the other charter members included Ethel Amstutz, Norma Dowell, Helen Evans, Bea Hall, Mary Hall, Marie Lincke, Dorothy Saltsman, Martha Saltsman and Gloria Swartz. Lincke took over as president in 1944. 

The first officers included Findlay, president; Lincke, vice president; Swartz, secretary; and Amstutz, treasurer. 

Carrollton Garden Club spent the 1970s planting and beautifying the area and winning awards for their projects.

A Sept. 16, 1976, article in a scrapbook, noted the club won its first beautification award for the 1976 landscaping project in front of the “new security building” (county jail). The Canton Regional Garden Center sponsored the contest.  Bette Anders was the chairman for the project. The committee consisted of Lincke, Betty Lord and Mary Favri. There were 37 members in the club. Barbara Atchison, a former president of the club, was the regional director of the Canton Garden Center. Joyce Hannon won second place in the district for her front yard improvement during that year. The district consisted of 70 clubs with 2,300 members from Stark, Summit, Wayne, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. 

A May 20, 1976, article showed the project work was completed by Gooding’s Nursery at Sherrodsville and was financed by proceeds from the garden club’s annual bazaar and fund-raising events.

The club also won first place in the Canton Garden Center Beautification contest for the Dogwood ’77 Project and third in the state. Evelyn Ashton served as chairman of the committee. The club purchased 322 Dogwood trees (153 pink, 169 white) and sold 245 to private individuals and organizations. The remaining 77 trees were planted on public property, including 34 at the fairgrounds. According to the article, 70 clubs participated in the beautification contest. 

In 1972, planters were installed on parking meters. The wrought iron brackets were attached by members of the Carrollton Fire Department and filled with petunias donated by Carrollton Greenhouse. Members planted evergreens in front of the secretary’s building and other trees at the county fairgrounds. The club made numerous plantings at the McCook House and planted a white flowering crab on the lawn of the courthouse. 

Member Ruth Ann Capper created a booklet containing a brief history of the club and presented to members at the anniversary luncheon.  

In 1945, council approved the club’s request to remove the bandstand, the roll of honor stone and the WWI cannon so they could seed the area for grass and install a system of walks and have the center area designed for speakers and band concerts. 

1950s & 1960s

The first flower show was held at the Ohio Power building in 1951 with 130 entries. Over the years, they hosted 39 flower shows, held in the high school cafeteria, McCook House, at the fairgrounds, Algonquin Mill, Masonic Temple and Myers Tin Shop.

Arda Sheats was the first member to serve as president two consecutive years, serving in 1952 and 1953.

Findlay, then of Canton, entertained a tea for the club’s 10th anniversary in 1952. During the 1950s, members holding the office of club president had last names such as Gotschall, Sweeney, Croskey, Poplin and Dowell, among others. 

Evelyn Ashton was elected president for 1961 and served in the position again in 1972 and 1973. 

Welcome signs were placed at the Carrollton city limits in 1960. Carrollton held its sesquicentennial (150 years) celebration in 1965. Garden club members conducted a strolling flower show throughout the downtown area, carrying baskets of colorful flowers. 

1970s -1990s

In 1978, the club erected new welcome signs at the corporation limits. Barbara Atchison, who served as club president in 1970, served as the Canton regional director, becoming the first Carrollton Garden Club member to serve as a state officer. 

In the 1980s, the club continued the 30-year tradition of packing cookies for shut-ins and planted new shrubbery in front of Carroll Hills Workshop. Evelyn Price served as chairperson for the project, which won first place as a beautification project. 

Current member Ann Saltsman was president in 1983-1984 and Sonny Swartz 1987-1988.

The McCook House celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1983. The club furnished floral arrangements on the weekends and for special occasions, an ongoing project since the 1960s. 

Beautification projects continued in 1990, with the club focusing on plantings at the railroad depot and the Carroll County Arts Center. Club members served refreshments at the McCook House for the Heritage Days festival and had 26 entries in the flower show held at the McCook House. 

2000s

As a new millennium began, the club decorated their first tree at Holly Pine Lane at the Canton Garden Center in 2003. The club also worked with residents at Carroll Golden Age Retreat to bring flowers to them. 

The club continued its beautification of downtown areas including the Post Office, Arts Center, Public Square, Hospice Browse N Buy (former 2nd St. location), railroad depot McCook House, doing planting and maintenance. 

Carrollton Garden Club partnered with the Suburban Garden Club for the dedication of the Blue Star Marker on the top of Public Square. The Blue Star program is a program through the National Garden Clubs to honor all men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Services. 

The clubs held a combined meeting in 2017 to learn about growing grapes.

 Janet Weir Creighton presented at program “Dining with the President” in 2018. Club members visited area gardens, learned summer garden maintenance and held meetings at the Ashton House Museum when able during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2022

The theme for 2022 is “Work together – Learn together.” Officers include Mary Huffman and Darlene Smith, co-presidents; Joyce Ferguson, secretary; and Vickie Reed, treasurer. Board members are Ruth Ann Capper, Nellie Nye and Vernice Pearson.

Other club members include Ben and Marvel Boggess, Shirley Campbell, Judith Eynon, Earl Ferguson,  Sue Henderson, Kathy Horn, Ursula Lincoln, Ann Saltsman and Sonny Swartz.  New members include Isaac Brumm, Sue Crano, Jennifer Flannery, Heidi Lafferty and Sandy Myers