Seeds of pride are planted throughout Greensboro
A garden, adopted by Charles and Wanda Hawk, adorns a sidewalk bump out in Greensboro.
Flower gardens, adopted by townspeople, adorn the area surrounding the Greensboro log cabin.
A Greensboro crock, created by artist Jamie Rinehart, appears to be buried in the ground facing Water Street in Greensboro.
GREENSBORO – A visit to the hamlet of Greensboro gives one a quick sense of the overall pride residents have for the town. The paved walking/biking trail, gazebo overlooking the Monongahela River, pristine sidewalks and tidy historical facades are but some of the indicators. Most recently, an adopt-a-garden project has become yet another example of the residents’ spirit.
Seventeen adopted gardens have added splashes of color in sidewalk bump outs, along streets and near buildings. The project falls under the auspices of the Clean Safe and Green Initiative of the borough’s Elm Street Program.
Residents Susan Messich and Olivia Burich were instrumental in spearheading the garden project, but Burich said it was initially Messich’s idea to have borough residents take ownership of the mini-gardens around town. Previously, the pair had tended to gardens in the community.
Messich said she looked around at all of the nice yards and gardens in Greensboro, and the idea of giving people an opportunity to expand that work to an area close by came to her.
“We put it (the adopt-a-garden idea) in our spring newsletter in April, and people came on board. Every one of them has been adopted,” she added. Borough council and the Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation also are helping to provide the resources necessary for the gardens.
“Most of the gardens people live real close to, so they are seeing and enjoying them in front of their homes,” Messich said. “And, each person is able to use his own creativity. They just loved it, loved the idea.” Tapping that creativity, some of the residents have harkened back to the pottery roots of the town, scattering bits of pottery among their plants.
“The family that adopted the borough building put flower pots on both sides of the door that look like Greensboro crocks,” Burich said.
In fact, the crocks are a signature throughout the town. House numbers are painted on glass crock plaques, an exaggerated crock appears to be growing out of the ground near the log cabin, and crocks are on the mural as one enters the downtown.
Continuing the theme, the Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation paid for barn-wood garden signs that carry the name of the garden adoptees and an image of a Greensboro crock, space permitting. The crocks are symbolic of the Greensboro pottery trade that the town became famous for in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Today, Greensboro pottery is some of the most valuable and sought-after pottery.
Last week, more than 20 people gathered at the log cabin to share in the success of the garden project. At that time, the adoptees received signs to stake ownership of their flower beds. Among those in attendance were Betty Longo, 87, and Margaret Kalis, 84, founding members of the Nathanael Greene foundation.
“It means a lot to me to have the help,” Kalis said, noting she is unable to do the work herself these days. Kalis’ gardens were known for always looking “so nice and so pretty,” Burich said.
Longo also expressed appreciation to everyone involved and spoke affectionately of her hometown.
“How wonderful that we have these young people in town willing to do for our town, not only for their own gardens or own yard,” Longo said. “I’m really proud of this town and what it looks like. You can come to Greensboro and appreciate it because everybody here is proud of this little town and wants to keep it nice.”