Many, many people have helped in the restoration of the Centre Furnace Mansion and grounds for public use, but few have given more commitment than Lois and Everett McLaughlin. In 1993, a memorial gift of a gazebo was given in Lois’s honor as a lasting tribute, given by the McLaughlin family – Everett, children Elliot and Robert McLaughlin, Pam McLaughlin Harner, their families, and by her many friends.
Gardens in the nineteenth century were described as “an earthly paradise,” and a “a place of delight”; garden architecture, such as summer houses and gazebos, served as a location to savor and enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the landscape. The Lois McLaughlin Gazebo provides the same opportunity for Centre Furnace Mansion visitors in the twenty-first century.
In 2006, a new garden was created around the McLaughlin Gazebo to hold eighteen Victorian Era Lilacs as a continuation of Laura’s Lilac Bower installed in 2005. Spring is the primary bloom season for this garden. Just as the Lilacs and Bleeding Heart begin to fade, five hundred English Bluebells burst into bloom. The Bluebells were donated by Jackie Melander and planted during the 2007 United Way Day of Caring.
Plant List
- English Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
- Hosta – mixed varieties
- Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
- Astilbe – mixed varieties
Lilacs:
• Syringa x chinensis ‘Saugeana’
Reddish single purple, introduced by Loudon in 1885, large shrub, mid season bloom
• S. x hyacithiflora ‘Pocahontas’
Purple, single, introduced by Skinner in 1935, tall, showy, early
• S. x hyacithiflora ‘Buffon’
Pink/lavender, single, introduced by Lemoine in 1921, tall
• S. meyeri ‘Palibin’
Deep/medium violet, single, Dwarf Korean Lilac, good fall leaf color, very small
• S. microphylla ‘Superba’
Pink, single, introduced by Chenault in 1910, low growing, little leaf, mid season
• S. v. ‘Edith Cavell’
White, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1916, showy, mid season
• S. v. ‘Katherine Havemeyer’
Pink/lavender, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1924, mid season
• S. v. ‘Lucie Baltet’
Pink, single, introduced by Baltet before 1988, low growing, mid season
• S. v. ‘Marc Micheli’
Violet, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1898, mid season
• S. v. ‘Miss Ellen Willmott’
White, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1903, mid season
• S. v. ‘Mme. Lemoine’
White, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1890, very fragrant, mid season
• S. v. ‘Montaigne’
Pink, double, introduced by Lemoine in 1907, mid season