The Magnolia
Garden Club
(
MGC) volunteered their time, talents and
considerable labor to restore the historic
East Garden on the campus of CHRISTUS
Hospital – St. Elizabeth.
The MGC has long held ties to this
garden. In 1937, Mrs. John Henry Phelan
was one of the 47 charter members of the
organization. That same year the MGC, a
member of the Garden Club of America,
presented the Phelan Mansion landscape
plan to the Smithsonian Museum in
Washington, D.C., for the historic garden
archives. This garden was the first garden
presented to the Smithsonian from the
state of Texas. Twenty years later, Mr. and
Mrs. Phelan donated their estate, which
included their home and 28 acres, to the
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
The Sisters used the home as a convent and
built CHRISTUS Hospital – St. Elizabeth.
Today, the garden that once served
as the recreation area for the Sisters has
been restored to its original grandeur by
the MGC. Members of the club worked
with the hospital to remove an unused
pool, a chain-link fence, and damaged
brickwork. The site was then replanted to
restore it to the look of its heyday.
The restoration of the gardens also pre-
sented a great opportunity for the MGC
to implement organic gardening methods.
This effort was guided by MGC in con-
sultation with Bart Brechter, curator of
Bayou Bend Gardens in Houston. Brechter
is a widely respected expert and innovator
in curating and managing large-scale gar-
dens. His background includes converting
Bayou Bend into the state’s only formal
The Magnolia Garden Club
preserves historic hospital gardens
organic public garden and managing the
internationally known Calloway Gardens.
The restoration of the East Garden
is an excellent example of community
members contributing to the well-being
of their neighbors through their volunteer
service. CHRISTUS Hospital realizes the
importance of volunteerism in creating a
healing environment.
HouseCall •
www.christushospital.org
3
HOUSECALL is published
as a community service for
the friends and patrons of:
CHRISTUS HOSPITAL –
ST. ELIZABETH &
ST. MARY
P.O. Box 5405
Beaumont, TX 77726
409-892-7171
www.christushospital.org
Heather Boler
Regional Vice President
Karen Stubblefield
Regional Director of Marketing
Danielle Pardue
Marketing & Communications
Manager
Mark Durand
Assistant Administrator of
Operations, CHRISTUS Jasper
Memorial Hospital
Rebecca Howard
Regional Events Specialist
Information in HOUSECALL
comes from a wide range of medi-
cal experts. Models may be used
in photos and illustrations. If you
have any concerns or questions
about specific content that may
affect your health, please contact
your healthcare provider.
Copyright © 2012
C
offey Communications, Inc.
HSM28602
If you or your or-
ganization would
like to contribute your
time to CHRISTUS
Hospitals, please
contact CHRISTUS
Health Foundation
of Southeast Texas at
409-899-7555
.
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