Through the hard work of a group of dedicated volunteers led by landscape designer Elisabeth Staro, the gardens at Popodicon are being returned to their former glory. The gardens date to 1907-08 and were designed by Oglesby Paul of Philadelphia, who worked with noted landscape architect Frederick Olmstead, the designer of New York’s Central Park.
Recent garden volunteers include Mary Ann Morgan ’53, Tim Valerio, Brightside Landscape Design, Orion Home and Garden, members of the Shepherd men’s soccer team, and Mark Ford, a transfer student from Bethany College who worked in the garden the Saturday before the fall semester began. As a thank you for his help in the garden, Elisabeth Staro took Mark on a tour of Shepherdstown to familiarize the Clinton, Maryland, resident with the area where he will make his home for the academic year.