History of Club
On June 21, 1933, Mrs. Percie Hussey met with ten of her friends from Medfield to organize the Medfield Garden Club. Mrs. Hussey had read an article in Better Homes and Gardens about the formation of garden clubs occurring throughout the United States and she wanted to bring a garden club to Medfield. Bylaws and a constitution were drawn up, dues were established at twenty-five cents a year and meetings were held every other Wednesday at 2:30 PM in Mrs. Hussey’s home.
The original mission of the Medfield Garden Club was to visit gardens among members and to exchange plants and ideas about all things gardening: pests, sprays, perennials, ragweed, hummingbirds, rock gardens, canning, Victory gardens, trees, travelogues, herbs and flower arranging. Honorary members were mothers or sisters who did not garden but wanted to enjoy fellowship with members.
The first programs were prepared by members themselves and then outside experts were enlisted from nearby horticultural organizations and agricultural schools. In 1937, a Sunshine Donation Box was started to celebrate members’ joyous events and to comfort members in time of sickness or grief. The first civic plantings done in 1938 were trees given to the police station and to the Medfield schools.
Almost nine decades later we have remained true to Mrs. Hussey’s vision for the Medfield Garden Club. We are still focused on fellowship and caring, we still love all things gardening, we have expanded our civic plantings to twenty-three sites and we are life-long learners using our hands, minds and hearts.
