WILLIAMSTOWN - The beatification and repurposing of a former residential lot at the corner of Highland Avenue and W. Fifth Street continues with the work and dedication of the Wood County Master Gardeners.
On Saturday morning, master gardeners Marty Seufer, Melvin Swiger, Mary McNamara, Victoria Williams and Joyce McDougle met at the former Armstrong property to begin the third year of the beatification project.
"Our goal as master gardeners, we have a mission to beautify things and that is exactly what we are doing here," said Seufer, who is also a member of the Williamstown City Council.
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Five members of the Wood County Master Gardeners began to spruce up the garden located in the former
The property next to the Williamstown City Building and across the street from Tomlinson Park had fallen into disrepair after homeowners Bob and Elizabeth Armstrong died several years ago.
"The Armstrongs had a nice garden that people in the community just loved to look at. After they passed away the city was lucky enough to acquire the property," Seufer said.
After the land came into the city's ownership, the house was demolished and the lot was empty until the master gardeners joined with the city and the Williamstown Women's Club to make the property an extension of Tomlinson Park intended for adults.
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Photos by Jolene Craig
Wood County master gardeners Melvin Swiger, left, and Marty Seufer, right, remove dead leaves and debris from the rose bed Saturday in the Armstrong Garden Park at Highland Avenue and W. Fifth Street in Williamstown.
"We've had a vision all along to make this a more grown up area of Tomlinson park where people and sit on one of the benches and enjoy the flowers and butterflies," Seufer said.
The 250 foot garden is divided into five sections that include a tree-shaded spot where the gardeners are planning to install picnic areas, a rose garden, a butterfly and hummingbird garden, a spring garden with two beds of spring flowers and an area filled with plants native to West Virginia.
"The rose garden is a tribute to Elizabeth Armstrong because this lot was known for her beautiful roses," Seufer said.
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Master Gardeners
The Wood County Master Gardeners are continuing its beatification project of the Armstrong Garden at the corner of Highland Avenue and W. Fifth Street in Williamstown.
For the third year of the venture, the gardeners plan more plants and keep up those already thriving while adding a small seating areas for residents to enjoy the garden.
Williamstown City Councilman and master gardener Marty Seufer said the small park includes a grouping of plants to attract butterflies and humming birds and a rose bed to honor Elizabeth Armstrong, who used to live in the house and had many rose bushes.
The butterfly and hummingbird garden was designed by the master gardeners.
A mission of the group is education and Seufer said that the group is doing just that with the native plants, which is sponsored by the Williamstown Women's Club.
"Until we started work on that area, I had no idea what plants were a were not native to this area and now I do," Seufer said.
Williams, who recently moved to Parkersburg, said she joined the Williamstown project because she loves to garden.
"I was a master gardener in Texas and I decided to join here because I just love planting things and making things around me more beautiful," she said.
Seufer said that there is no chosen date for the end of the park project because, as a garden, there will be continual work to do.
"This is just something that is on-going because there is something that will always need to be done," he said.
