Chase City // They say a picture is worth a thousand words. At MacCallum More Museum and Gardens, you’ll find millions. See for yourself:
Nearly hidden down an ordinary neighborhood street stands the gateway to another world. Literally. Everything about the impressive, multigenerational landscape garden at MacCallum More signals that what lies beyond the impressive sidewalk passage is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.
The life’s work of Scottish heiress Lucy Hudgins, MacCallum More feels more like an elevated, uplifting "Grey Gardens" than a bona fide national historic treasure (which it is). A direct descendant of the first Duke of Argyle in Scotland, Lucy named her garden MacCallum More in 1929 to honor her Scottish clan. Like other prestigious gardening families around the country — the DuPonts, the Reynolds and the Vanderbilts among them — Lucy and her descendants dedicated their lives to perfecting the sprawling, formal style landscape and sculptural gardens behind the family home. The result is a meandering, moss-covered testament to multiple generations of passion, craftsmanship and a life well lived.
Connected by a detailed series of formal paths, the well-planned layout includes six garden rooms, each focused on a different theme. Peppered throughout is the family’s expansive, international collection of sculpture, artifacts, ornaments and decorative ironwork. Wandering from "room" to "room," you’re as likely to feel moved to joy, hope and wonderment and as you are to introspection, peacefulness and longing for a simpler time.
The formal gardens feature an arboretum, herb garden, wildflower garden, rose and theme gardens, as well as fountains and eclectic imported works of art. Particularly striking is the sculpture garden, which includes a massive Spanish Cloister guarded by twelve Granada lions, carved limestone floral bouquets in the style of the Italian renaissance, and at one time, a life size sculpture of a Japanese Samurai Warrior (which has since been moved inside). Every piece in the massive sculpture garden tells a story. The Cloister alone was found in Spain, then disassembled and marked with chalk before being packed, shipped and uncrated on site… only to discover the chalk numbers had washed away. The entire 30 foot structure had to be recreated at MacCallum More piece by piece.
Like the elaborate wrought iron gate, many of the ornate elements and statuary at MacCallum More were gifts from well-heeled dignitaries connected to the family. Stories of each piece, along with local history of the site, are told in detail in the on-site museum.
To plan your visit to this astonishing national and local wonder, visit www.mmmg.org. Please call ahead prior to your visit to confirm the latest details regarding hours of operation, access to the museum and other location specific details, which may be subject to change.