1944-2016
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Fenway Garden Society records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Certain sensitive correspondence in Series III of this collection is CLOSED to researchers at this time. Consult the reference librarian for more information.
There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.
Abstract
This collection consists of the records of the Fenway Garden Society, a Boston-based non-profit membership organization founded in 1944 that manages the oldest continuous victory garden in the nation, the Fenway Victory Gardens, for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. The records include administrative and financial records, correspondence, publicity and event materials, publications, project proposals and reports, garden plot maps, and ephemera.
Historical Sketch
The Fenway Victory Gardens were established in Boston in the spring of 1942 when it became clear that the nation's food production would be unable to supply both the armed forces overseas and the general public on the homefront. Across the nation, "victory gardens" sprang up in city lots and backyards in order to combat nationwide food shortages and wartime rationing.
The Boston Victory Garden Committee secured 49 areas for cultivation, including a large plot of land bordered by the Muddy River, Boylston Street, and Park Drive, an area that would come to be known as the Fenway Victory Gardens.
The Fenway Garden Society was formally established in 1944 by those who wished to continue their urban gardening as the war was drawing to a close and victory gardens were no longer needed. Richard D. Parker, for whom the Fenway Victory Gardens are now named, was one member of this group of gardeners, and he remained an influential leader in the Fenway Garden Society until his death in 1975. The Fenway Victory Gardens were initially supervised by the Boston Parks Department, but in 1949 the Fenway Garden Society gained full responsibility of the administration, maintenance, and appearance of the garden parkland.
Today, the Fenway Victory Gardens cover seven acres of the Fens, one of six Boston parklands of the historic "Emerald Necklace" designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the nineteenth century. Now an official Boston Historic Landmark, these 500 garden plots cultivated by both individual gardeners and community organizations represent a diverse mix of ethnic groups, occupations, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Fenway Garden Society remains in existence today. Its purpose is to maintain and encourage urban gardening in the Victory Gardens for the benefit of all the people of the city of Boston, providing a chance to work outdoors, enjoy green space, and work with nature, as well as to cooperate with the Boston Parks Department and other related government agencies, community groups, and urban gardeners in preserving, maintaining, and beautifying city park areas and other green spaces.
Collection Description
The records of the Fenway Garden Society date from 1944-2016 and consist of three record cartons, two document boxes, one narrow box, and one rolled container. The bulk of the records date from 1970-1989.
Included are rules and by-laws, election records, membership lists and application records, newsletters, event calendars and fliers, newspaper clippings, committee and treasurer's reports, and non-Fenway Garden Society publications and printed material. Open letters and announcements to gardeners about upcoming events and general meeting and election information are included in this collection. A plaque presented to the Fenway Garden Society on its fiftieth anniversary by the mayor of Boston in 1992, as well as one rolled container of landscape plans and drawings of the Emerald Necklace and surrounding gardens from a 1991 improvement project, are also included. Administrative records, specifically meeting minutes and correspondence regarding project and activity planning, gardening rules, society regulations, garden maintenance and clean-up information, and application and plot renewals status make up the bulk of this collection.
Additions to the collection include 15 transcripts of oral history interviews with gardeners of the Victory Gardens in Boston, Mass., conducted in 2016.
Acquisition Information
The Fenway Garden Society records were deposited at the MHS by the Society in March 2008. Additions (Series VII) were given to the MHS by Joan E. Murphy in September 2016 and by Zachary Nowak in September 2017.
Restrictions on Access
The Fenway Garden Society records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Certain sensitive correspondence in Series III of this collection is CLOSED to researchers at this time. Consult the reference librarian for more information.
There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.
Restrictions on Use
The records of the Fenway Garden Society have been placed on deposit at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Massachusetts Historical Society does not claim ownership of the literary rights (copyright) to material created by individuals in this collection, including some of the oral history transcripts in Series VII. The Massachusetts Historical Society cannot give permission to publish or quote from documents to which it does not hold copyright. Use of these materials does not imply permission to publish. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to obtain formal permission from the owners of the literary rights (copyright) to publish or quote from this collection.
All reproductions, including photocopies and digital photographs, are for personal use only. Personal use copies may not be donated to or deposited in other libraries or archives, or made available to other researchers, without the written permission of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Administrative records, 1944-2007
This series consists primarily of meeting minutes and membership records. Rules and by-laws, election records, and various committee reports and records are also included in this series.
A. Officer, member, and application records, 1944-2006
Included in this subseries are yearly summaries of the Fenway Garden Society's events and activities of officers that highlight the main activities and leadership of the FGS for that year. The officer and member records consist primarily of annual lists of members, officers, and their contact information. A membership/plot assignment calendar is also included in this series, as well as membership and renewal applications and application instructions and procedures.
Annual event and officer summaries, 1944-1989
Officer and member records, 1947-2006
Application and registration records, 1957-2006
B. Meeting agendas and minutes, 1944-2007
Included in this subseries are the agendas and minutes of the FGS's general and executive board meetings. Both administrative and financial matters are discussed at these meetings, as well as upcoming events and event planning, various project proposals, maintenance issues, election and membership issues, and financial reports from the treasurer pertaining to account balances and budget information.
C. Rules and by-laws, 1947-2006
Included in this subseries are the regulations of the Fenway Garden Society, which include both rules and guidelines for gardeners and the FGS's own constitution and by-laws. Also included are drafts, revisions, and proposed amendments to the constitution and by-laws.
D. Election records, 1947-2006
Included in this subseries are the annual election records of the FGS's officers and directors. Election ballots are found in this subseries, as well as nominations for officers, tally sheets of votes, and announcements to FGS members regarding the election and its results.
E. Community and garden records, 1945-2006
This subseries consists of maps of garden plots and plot statistics, such as the number of "old" versus "new" gardeners, number of multiple plot holders, and available plots. Also included are crime statistics and a map of crime incidents in the West Fenway area as compiled by the West Fenway Police/Community Crime Panel in 2006. Lists of FGS Garden Awards winners, such as Best Established Garden, Best Flower Garden, Best New Garden, and Most Improved Garden are also found in this subseries. Questionnaires and data summaries from a 1972 survey sent to gardeners about their participation in meetings, programs, and opinions on gardening and membership issues are included, as well.
Committee reports and records, 1946-1987
Plot maps and statistics, 1970-1999
West Fenway Police/Community Panel crime statistics and map, 2006
Memoranda, 1967-1974, 1981-1990
Fens Fest administrative records, 1983-1986
Administrative notes, 1967, 1973, 1982, 1985, 2004
Fenway community groups contact lists, undated
Gardening awards, 1945-2005
Questionnaires, 1972
Job announcements and work wanted fliers, 1970, 1986-1990
II. Financial records, 1947-2006
This series consists of statements of financial condition, treasurer's reports, budget reports, a dues receipt, service invoices, and society event expenses. Seed order forms from the Massachusetts Community Garden Seed Program are included, as well as service invoices for water pipe maintenance.
Financial records, 1947-2006
Budget and income statements, 2002-2006
Expenses and order forms, 1979-1985
III. Correspondence, 1945-2007
This series consists primarily of correspondence between officers, members of the Fenway Garden Society, and members of other organizations and societies regarding such matters as application status and plot renewals, officer and election issues, activities and event planning with other groups and organizations, and administrative and financial aspects of FGS events and programs. Open letters and announcements to gardeners from FGS presidents and officers regarding upcoming events, general meeting agendas, garden maintenance, and election information are also included in this series.
Open letters to gardeners, 1946-2006
Correspondence, 1945-2007
Items from this series are restricted to researchers at this time due to their sensitivity. Stored in a narrow box at Ms. N-2283.
IV. Publications and publicity, 1945-2007
This series consists of publicity material in the form of newspaper and magazine clippings. Publications created by the FGS, such as gardening tips and newsletters for gardeners, as well as event fliers, calendars, and printed material about the FGS are found in this series. In addition, a 50th anniversary plaque presented to the FGS by the mayor and commissioner of Boston in 1992 is included.
Newsletters, 1982-2006
Printed material, 1953-2006
Newspaper and magazine clippings, 1945-2007
50th anniversary plaque, 1992
V. Project, grant, and program records, 1971-2006
This series consists of grant, project, and program records spearheaded by the FGS, submitted to the FGS by other groups and organizations, or indirectly involving the FGS. Since the Fenway Gardens are part of the Emerald Necklace, several of these programs and projects directly concern the FGS, although the FGS may not have played an active role in the organization of actions of these programs. Papers from the Olmsted Heritage Landscape Act and Preservation Program, Back Bay Fens Preservation maps and plans, and petitions against the Fenway Park Expansion project are included in this series, as well as an undated FGS oral history project transcript and papers relating to the Richard D. Parker dedication and renaming ceremony. Also included in this series is one rolled container of drawings and site layouts for the 1991 Victory Gardens, Back Bay Fens, Emerald Necklace, and Parks Plans for Improvements.
Program and activity records, 1971-2006
Grant requests, projects, and proposals, 1982-2006
Back Bay Fens preservation master plan and maps, 1977
Pipe survey project records, 1978
Richard D. Parker dedication records, 1979
Fenway Park expansion project petitions and records, 1981
Development and restoration plan and landscape project records, 1982-1986
The Massachusetts Fruition program papers, 1985
Olmsted Heritage Landscape Act and preservation program records, 1973-1993
Flynn Botanical Garden papers, 1988
Emerald Necklace Parks proposals and operations plans, 1988-1989
Phragmite control records, 1993-1994
Fenway Garden Society oral history project, undated
Addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities papers, undated
Gardens, Back Bay Fens, Emerald Necklace, & Parks Plans for Improvements, site plans, drawings, and layouts, 1991
Located at Ms. N-2283 (OS).
VI. Non-Fenway Garden Society papers, 1960-2007
The papers of this series include publications and printed material not produced by the FGS, but by related organizations and groups such as the Boston Urban Gardeners, the Boston Park Rangers, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The French language newsletters and pamphlet of the gardening society Association Des Jardins Ouvriers Strasbourg-Ouest are included in this series. Events and events fliers not created or organized by the FGS are also included, as well as recipes and miscellaneous printed material.
VII. Additions, 1974-2016
A. Additions (first installment)
This subseries consists of two volumes kept by Joan E. Murphy, a member of the Fenway Garden Society from 1980-2013. Included is a scrapbook containing photographs, clippings, programs, e-mails, and newsletters, and a section coordinator's manual containing by-laws, guidelines and regulations, letters, maps, a recipe book, and a gardener's guide.
This material was a gift to the MHS from Joan E. Murphy in September 2016.
Scrapbook, 1974-2010
Section coordinator's manual, 1988-2011 (disbound)
B. Additions (second installment)
This subseries contains 15 transcripts of oral history interviews conducted by Zachary Nowak with gardeners of the Victory Gardens in Boston, Mass. in 2016; a list and draft labels of botanical specimens collected from the Back Bay Fens and donated to the Harvard University Herbarium; a plot map of the Victory Gardens; and a map of trees in the Back Bay Fens provided by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.
This material was a gift to the MHS from Zachary Nowak in September 2017.
Oral history interviews, 2015-2016
NOTE: Please see Restrictions on Use above for information about restrictions on these materials.
List and draft labels of botanical specimens, 2015-2016
Maps of Victory Gardens and Back Bay Fens, undated
Preferred Citation
Fenway Garden Society records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.