Whitehorne House and Rough Point

Join the Grafton Garden Club in a carpool from the Municipal Center (meet in the back on Saturday, September 12, 2009 to leave at 8:30am) to Whitehorne House and Rough Point. Doris Duke dedicated much of her time and fortune to restoring Colonial buildings in Newport, Rhode Island. Her passion for preservation led her to create the Newport Restoration Foundation in 1968 and through it preserved more than 80 historic homes. Doris Duke was the only daughter of James Buchanan Duke, industrialist, founder of the Duke Power Company and the benefactor of Duke University. When Mr. Duke died in 1925, he left his 12-year old daughter an estate estimated at $80 million. After a lifetime of philanthropy, Doris Duke left her vast fortune to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation which supports the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, and the prevention of child abuse. The trip includes a tour of Whitehorne House and Rough Point. Doris Duke's desire to preserve Newport's many treasures led her to renovate the Whitehorne House, a Federal-style mansion. One of the highlights of the Whitehorne House is its beautiful garden. This inviting space is filled with antique roses, blueberry bushes and fruit trees, and a dazzling array of perennials and annuals. Despite its refined geometry, the garden still maintains a rustic quality. From the precious balloon flower to the flamboyant castor plant, this garden will delight you and is an interpretation of a Federal period garden for an affluent, urban family. Located on Newport's exclusive Bellevue Avenue, Rough Point provides a sweeping ocean view and expansive grounds designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Stroll the grounds at your leisure and discover the "secret" flower garden. Rough Point is still furnished as it was when Doris Duke lived here. Tour this "living house" and walk in her shoes. Visit The Galleries at Rough Point, a celebration of fashion and shopping through the experience of Doris Duke. Miss Duke's closet represents a wide selection of international designers including Dior, Givenchy, Halston, and Pucci. The exhibit explores how she shopped for her wardrobe from French couture houses to American department stores in search of stylish. Chic clothes that established her as one of the best dressed in society.
The cost of the trip is $30 or members of the Grafton Garden Club and $35 for non-members.
To reserve a space, please send a check by September 8th to the Grafton Garden Club, PO box 453, Grafton, MA 01519-0453 and include your contact information and if you need a space in the carpool or if you will drive and how many additional people you can take in your car.
For more details, please call Helen.

The Grafton Garden Club is a non-profit organization that has members from many area towns. The Club provides scholarships and grants to area schools for the educational pursuit of horticulture.