York Harbor -- Starboard Cottage

Object Details

General: In 1926, Mrs. Russell A. Alger, Jr. commissioned Ellen Shipman to design the gardens for Starboard Cottage in York Harbor, Maine. Shipman collaborated with Mrs. Alger years earlier on the Moorings and later on another home, both in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Starboard Cottage was the summer home of the Algers, and Shipman designed the gardens with this in mind. This vacation garden was nestled into the rocky hillside, out-of-sight from the house and contained within a picket fence, creating a world of its own. The oval garden was planted with trees, shrubs, and the beds were full of seed-packet summer garden flowers mixed with hardy heather. The colorful blooms of annuals, biennials, and perennials created a painterly composition. A small seating area with an uninterrupted view of the seas completed the escape. Dirt paths edged with stone meandered from the overlook area, through the flower beds, and wound back down the hill to the summer cottage. Persons Associated: Mrs. Russell A. Alger, Jr. (former owners); Ellen Biddle Shipman (landscape architect); William Platt (architect).

Place: Starboard Cottage (York Harbor, Maine); United States of America -- Maine -- York County -- York -- York Harbor

See more items in: Ellen Shipman Garden Photography Collection; Ellen Shipman Garden Photography Collection / Gardens / Maine

Sponsor: Cataloging of the Ellen Shipman Garden Photography Collection was made possible with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Ellen Shipman garden photography collection.

Collection Rights: Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Bibliography: Garden has been featured in Judith B. Tankard, The Gardens of Ellen Biddle Shipman (Sagaponeck, NY: Sagapress, Inc., 1996), p. 106-108. Garden has been featured in Judith B. Tankard, Ellen Shipman and The American Garden (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2018), p. 142-145.

Other Finding Aids: The Garden Club of America collection, circa 1920-[on-going.

Collection Restrictions: Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Related Materials: Cornell University, Ellen Shipman Papers, Ithaca, New York.