The Mountain Laurel is starting to bloom at Ivy Creek. The best places to experience these blooms are along the Peninsula Trail and on the Blue Trail, down by the reservoir. This month the Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society's self-guided walk is led by member Tana Herndon and she takes you along the Blue Trail specifically to experience the magic of Mountain Laurel. Tana generously shares her intimate knowledge of the plants of Ivy Creek so you will learn about much more along the way. Visit this link for more information about how to take this walk, which will be posted until May 29.

Historic Preservation Month was started as Historic Preservation Week by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1973, and expanded to a full month in 2005. This year the theme is "telling the full American story." The National Trust is inviting people to "share a place that helps tell a little-known or underrepresented piece of the American story." River View Farm is an ideal example of a site that fulfills this and whose significance has been increasingly appreciated over time. Once dismissed as historically insignificant in a study for the ill-fated Rt. 29 Western Bypass, the farm now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a notable example of a successful African American farm established post-Emancipation. Hugh and Texie Mae Carr created River View Farm, one of the largest farms owned by African Americans in Albemarle County. Their daughter Mary Carr Greer and her husband Conly Greer made significant contributions to the education and improvement of the lives of the surrounding communities. We at Ivy Creek Foundation honor the importance of the Carr/Greer family to the local community and to the full American story. If you'd like to learn more, please visit the River View Farm page on our website or check out one of the Ivy Talks on the subject.

The three-bay garage located behind the Farmhouse (which can be seen in the aerial photo above) is in need of stabilization, as it was not included in the recent extensive work on the Farmhouse and other outbuildings. Albemarle County Parks and Recreation (ACPR) staff will be placing wall supports inside it soon, based upon the advice of our historic preservation volunteers. However, before that could be started, items left inside for at least a couple of decades needed to be sorted and removed. A hardy band of volunteers and staff (Tom Wild, Diana Foster, Phil Stokes, Keith Woodard, Otto Friesen, Ted Coates, Lorna Werntz and Catherine Boston) organized and/or met on May 17 to do just that. The old seed planting machine, or “seeder," which would have been dragged behind a horse, mule or tractor, was saved and moved into a safer position. Interesting fact: It is the one piece of equipment remaining on the farm that we know belonged to the Greer family. We are so grateful to our volunteers, staff and ACPR for their hard work! Without them, we would not be able to move forward with this important piece of the rehabilitation of River View Farm.

Right: Keith Woodard works to load a truck. (Photo: Lorna Werntz)