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1 of 1977 John DeWolf

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John DeWolf

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Name	DeWolf, John
Born	1850
Birthplace	Bristol, RI
Occupation	Landscape Designer
Deceased Date	1913
Deceased where	Bristol, RI
Notes	JOHN DEWOLF 1850 - 1913 John DeWolf, Blithewold's landscape designer, was born in Bristol. He was intimately connected with the Blithewold property from childhood, his DeWolf ancestors having owned the land which, in the 18th century, ran from Mount Hope Bay to Bristol Harbor and included what would become Blithewold. DeWolf grew up on Griswold Avenue, the son of Algernon Sidney DeWolf and Clara Diman DeWolf. As a young man he traveled as topographer and hydrographer for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. His innate love of horticulture took him to Europe where he studied landscape architecture, visiting and studying some of the great gardens of Europe. From 1898 until 1906 DeWolf was connected with the New York City Parks Dept., and with Prospect and Carroll Parks in Brooklyn. In 1895 Augustus Van Wickle hired DeWolf to improve his new property "Blithewold". These improvements were on-going until Augustus's death in 1898. In 1901 Bessie Van Wickle McKee asked DeWolf to continue with his plans for the estate. Much of what is in evidence today is testament to John DeWolf's knowledge and imagination, including the water garden, the moongate, the Bosquet, the statuary and the paths. He also designed and installed the iron scrollwork over the entrance to the estate. In 1911 he planted Blithewold's first Giant Sequoia, propagated by him at the Prospect Park greenhouses in Brooklyn. When it was planted in the Enclosed Garden, it stood 10' high. Never married, John DeWolf died in Bristol in 1913 at the home of his brother-in-law, Nathaniel Herreshoff, and is buried in Juniper Hill Cemetery. His friend Estelle Clements wore a spray of his favorite flowers to his funeral - heliotrope and Aaron Ward roses. Much of his professional and personal life remains a mystery, but Blithewold's grounds are a constant reminder of what was an important part of his life. Marget Whitehead, Blithewold Curator, 2005

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