Jefferson Township -- Deer Pond Farm

This distinctive vernacular garden is part of an extant farm property continuously farmed from the 1830s to the present. Although it now lies within the suburbs of Columbus, the 35-acre site still bears many characteristics of a larger farm property. A long, winding drive, barns, split rail fencing, fields of meadow grasses and wild flowers, a pond, and a farmhouse that grew as an addition to the original log cabin have been preserved and enhanced. The well-placed flower beds are readily viewed from inside the house. Plant selections mirror the adjacent perimeter vegetation of either shade woodland plants or meadow wild flowers. A bed of perennials, some of which were moved from the owners' previous Cleveland home, breaks the expanse of lawn falling away to the pond. Trails encircle the pond and wind through the meadow, while a venerable walnut tree believed to be more than 100 years old stands adjacent to the original log cabin portion of the house.

Persons associated with the garden and site include George J. Stegmiller (architect, 1985); the Timmerman family (former owners, 1830s); Catherine A. Heischman (former owner, before 1935); John G. Attwood (former owner, 1935-1937); Gerald B. Fenton (former owner, 1937-1974); and Wilbur A. Smith, Jr. (former owner, 1974-1984).