Category: Life & Times

Tony Horwitz’s collection of Olmsted books was recently donated to the University of Virginia’s Center for Cultural Landscapes.

In October 2024, the Olmsted Network hosted a six-week course on the work of Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted firm for older adult learners through Osher Online.

Olmsted Network President & CEO Dede Petri recounts the trip of a lifetime, retracing Frederick Law Olmsted's footsteps in England with John Phibbs, Gilly Kitching and 12 intrepid Olmsted pilgrims. Olmsted’s first book and delightful travelogue, Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England, provides the backdrop for these observations.

Landscape Architect, Author, Conservationist (1822–1903)

In this republished article by Charles Beveridge, learn how Olmsted's ideas had their basis in the experiences and influences of his youth.

Learn more about the women behind the Olmsted firm.

In this reprinted article, learn about Frederick Law Olmsted's adopted son, John Charles Olmsted.

Frederick Law Olmsted and his successors are well known for their development of city parks and park systems, but they also made lasting contributions to the National Park Service (NPS).

In addition to writing about the scourge of slavery, Olmsted was a fierce advocate for abolition and an early supporter of equal rights for Blacks in America.

From author to park maker to magazine editor and more, take a tour through the life of a great American innovator.