Join the Olmsted Network for a webinar with Alec Webb and Megan Camp, president and executive vice president of Shelburne Farms. Together, they’ll explore the farm’s rich history and its evolution from a Gilded Age agricultural estate to a renowned education non-profit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future.
In 1886, Frederick Law Olmsted visited Shelburne Farms, nestled in the picturesque landscape of Vermont, and offered ideas on the function and design of the property. Within a year, he crafted a plan to divide the land up into three parts— farm, forest and parkland. He, in turn, called for an Arboretum Vermontii, a collection of 200 species of native Vermont trees and bushes, illustrating a clear interest in cultivating native plants resources. While many of Olmsted’s plans were not realized, his vision retains an imprint on the land.
In this webinar, Alec— a descendant of the Webb family who originally owned the land— and Megan – the nonprofit’s chief mission officer— will highlight the ways in which Olmsted’s principles are kept alive and how current work at Shelburne Farms is inspired by Olmsted’s values of community-building, public health and conservation.
Photo by Sarah Webb