A lover of all things nature and history, Anna is the perfect fit as the park’s Historical Horticulturist. She first joined the park in 2014 as a volunteer and quickly grew her role into a full-time position three months later. Since then, she’s helped bring life to our park, growing an extensive kitchen garden and meticulously caring for all of our plants and flowers.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Delaware, Anna went on to earn her master’s in herbal medicine from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her extensive education makes her uniquely qualified for her role, and she enjoys combining her knowledge of nature, history, and horticulture to educate visitors.
Working with the seasons, Anna’s responsibilities change throughout the year, including research, program planning, seed planting, maintenance, and tours. She also creates “Garden Goodies” from the autumn harvest and sells them at various events to support park fundraising. When asked what the most fulfilling aspect of her role is, she says, “the feedback from visitors who take a lot of pleasure in the gardens we’ve made.”
When she’s not tending to the park, Anna loves spending time with her seven-year-old son. He takes after his mother, helping her weed her personal garden, and loves catching leaves at the park in the fall. Anna says she looks forward to the renovations revitalizing the park so she can restore her gardens. Keep an eye out in the coming seasons at the Thompson-Neely House, the Hibbs House, and the Historic Village for the evidence of Anna’s green thumb hard at work!
