Syosset -- Overfields

Object Details

General: Mr. and Mrs. George DeForest Lords commissioned Ellen Shipman around 1930 to the design the landscape for their home, called Overfields, in Syosset, New York. The main house was built in 1910 by William H. Beers. In addition to the entrance court, walls, and steps for the property, Shipman designed gardens including a fountian terrace, perennial garden with shrub plantings, a green panel garden with bulb, shrub, and perennial plantings, a water garden with complex and romantic water plantings in arrangements that are recognizable as hers, and additional shrub and tree plantings around the home and grounds that blended seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Persons Associated: George DeForest Lords (former owners); Ellen Biddle Shipman (landscape architect); William H. Beers (architect).

Place: United States of America -- New York -- Nassau County -- Syosset; Overfields (Syosset, New York)

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

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. 105. Garden has been featured in Judith B. Tankard, Ellen Shipman and The American Garden (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2018), p. 140.

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.