Travel writer Pico Iyer once described sanctuary as “a place apart from time.” Residents of Fairfield are fortunate to have a number of such places within our borders, whose origins are defined by a visionary spirit, and share a legacy of conservation and stewardship that endures today. 

Oak Lawn Cemetery, the Ogden House garden located adjacent to its grounds, the Birdcraft Museum and the Fairfield Garden Club share a common ancestry. Members of our Town’s founding families, Mabel Osgood Wright and Annie Burr Jennings, played significant roles in shaping these well-known institutions. Oak Lawn has been a long-standing partner in conservation and education initiatives with the garden club and The Fairfield Museum & History Center.

Incorporated in 1865, Oak Lawn, off lower Bronson Road, occupies 100 acres of grounds. It was conceived as a park-like cemetery, whose thoughtfully designed landscape was intended to go beyond its primary function and serve as a sort of botanical garden, providing a place of repose both temporal and eternal. Today, Oak Lawn has more than five miles of paved roads, carefully tended mature trees and shrubs, wetlands and wildlife preserves.

In 1907, Mabel Osgood Wright began efforts to create the tranquil sanctuary that exists today. She planned the original oak tree planting scheme along the river bank and also endeavored to beautify and improve the grounds. Annie B. Jennings, along with other prominent women in Fairfield, was influential in making various enhancements to the property.

In 1914, again with help from Annie B. Jennings, Mrs. Wright helped to found the Birdcraft Sanctuary, the first preserve of its kind in the U.S., and the Connecticut Audubon Society. Within 10 years of its 1914 opening Birdcraft was a home to 32 different bird species, and had been visited by 10,000 people. It remains an educational center and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Jennings was also instrumental in establishing and supporting a number of other important community institutions, including the Fairfield Historical Society (now the Fairfield Museum & History Center) and the Fairfield Public Library. She donated land for the Birdcraft Sanctuary and opened the extensive gardens at her Fairfield estate, Sunnieholme, to the public.

The Fairfield Garden Club, of which Mrs. Wright was the first president, has also had a long association with Oak Lawn and Ogden House, an 18th century saltbox house owned by the Fairfield Museum & History Center, that stands next to the cemetery. The Ogden House colonial garden has been planned, planted and maintained by the Fairfield Garden Club since 1935 and is the club’s longest continuous civic project. The tradition of conservation and education continues, and the partnership between Oak Lawn, The Fairfield Garden Club, and The Fairfield Museum & History Center remains robust. In 2013, in response to Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder, the Fairfield Garden Club created an apiary near the herb garden on Oak Lawn’s property, an initiative made possible by the Fairfield Museum & History Center and Oak Lawn itself. Beekeeping was of great importance during colonial times as honey was valued for food and for medicinal uses. Colonists introduced bees to America by transporting them along with apple trees. The presence of these pollinators also ensured a productive garden, which was critical to survival in 18th century New England.

The role of pollinators is again being recognized as crucial to the ecosystem and the food chain. This joint apiary project now consists of six hives. They are maintained by the garden club. The honey is harvested and jarred by club members, with the assistance of Oak Lawn employees, and is sold at the museum at 370 Beach Road.

In 2014, Oak Lawn was recognized for its efforts in planting and propagation. It was accredited as an arboretum whose mission is “to collect trees, shrubs, and other woody plants for the benefit of the public, science and conservation.” Oak Lawn and Connecticut College are the only two designated arboreta in the state of Connecticut, as recognized by the Morton Registry of Arboreta. It was awarded this distinction having met high standards in planning, governance, planting and public access, among others.

By Stephanie Kodweis