54 | Feb/Mar
•
2010
camouflage for not one but two gardens.
It took weeks and dumpster loads of
debris before workers found a set of steps
leading down into a garden that would
reveal a fountain and stone wading
pool. Hidden beneath were rose bushes,
azaleas, English Ivy, large pecan and fig
trees, a bamboo forest, prickly plants,
bulbs and wild flowers. At first, it looked
more like Miss Havisham's decayed
dwellings than the grand masterpiece
of years ago. Peeling away those layers
resembled both botanical and petrological
archeology.
Gardeners and landscapers were
called in to help restore the grounds and
install new plants. Rocks, stones and
bricks were also found in abundance,
including the unmistakable brownstones
salvaged from the nearby Fayetteville
Arsenal, remains from General Sherman's
"scorched earth" march into Fayetteville
in March 1865.
The yard and gardens contain winding
slate walkways, uncovered by tracing the
trail and digging under the grass. This
trail winds from the front yard, down
the brick walkways and forms a split that
takes visitors to a set of steep brick steps
leading to the lower gardens.
Wade Parker Jr., a grandson of
Raymond and Grace Sikes Pittman,
remembers exploring the yard as a child.
At first, it looked more like Miss
Havisham's decayed dwellings
than the grand masterpiece of
years ago. Peeling away those
layers resembled both botanical
and petrological archeology.
