University Gardens, Texas Woman's University
Denton, Denton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The original Rock Garden and native botanical area at this site was established in the 1930s by the Exterior Beautification Committee of Texas State College for Women, now Texas Woman's University. Members of the committee were Willie Isabella Birge, director of the Department of Biology, Fred Westcourt, director of the Department of Rural Arts and Mary Marshall, director of the Department of Art. The gardens were planned and landscaped to display a diverse collection of plants from Texas and other areas. Paths and retaining walls were constructed of native stone. The adjacent chapel in the woods was added in 1938. A focal point of the campus for many years, the gardens were neglected following World War II and they became overgrown. In the late 1970s, through a cooperative effort of university officials and local residents, the area was restored. The University Gardens are now a sanctuary for the preservation of native Texas wildflowers. The site serves as an educational laboratory for students, as a trail garden for plants used in campus landscaping and as a place of serenity and relaxation. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the 1930s the Exterior Beautification Committee of Texas State College for Women—now Texas Woman's University—created a rock garden and native botanical area, planning and landscaping it with plants from Texas and beyond and building paths and walls of native stone. A chapel in the woods was added in 1938, and the gardens became a beloved campus focal point before falling into neglect after World War II. Restored in the late 1970s through a partnership of university officials and residents, the site now protects native Texas wildflowers and serves as an outdoor classroom.
Why it matters
The gardens reflect the Depression-era beautification and conservation ethos at one of the nation's largest universities for women, sustained by faculty who were themselves pioneering women in science and the arts.
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Related people
- · Willie Isabella Birge
- · Fred Westcourt
- · Mary Marshall
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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