Status: Preserved

Address: 7831 Poplar Pike, Germantown

Built: c. 1875 – c. 1957

Architectural Style: Gabled L-shape five-bay home; many museum objects purposefully located outdoors in assemblages of natural features as well as nursery groves and gardens

Original Function/Purpose: Commerce

Oaklawn Garden was placed on the National Register on Mar. 28, 2018.

History: A former nursery, florist shop and family farm, Oaklawn Garden is now a public garden and museum. Swiss immigrant Frederick “Fritz” Hussy purchased the property in 1918. He was joined by his niece Maria Theresa (“Mamie”) Cloyes and her husband Harry Cloyes (whom Mamie later divorced). The three managed the property into a successful commercial nursery, thanks especially to Mamie’s horticultural skills and Fritz’s retail experience. After Fritz died, Mamie Cloyes continued running their enterprise, named Oaklawn Garden. In 1968 Mamie turned the business over to her son Harry Frederick Cloyes and his wife Becky. Harry began collecting and displaying historic artifacts, hosting tours by school groups and others, and writing a descriptive history of the family collection. The property was sold to the city of Germantown as a life estate that the Cloyes family continued to occupy until their deaths. Mamie died in 1978, Harry in 2011 and Becky in 2015. Structures on the property include the Crawford-Cloyes House (bottom photo, c. 1875, dating back to previous owner J.R. Crawford), the Nursery Office / Carport and the Nursery Toolshed (both c. 1957), as well as numerous site features and interesting museum objects. The garden museum is now part of the Germantown Parks and Recreation Department and is free and open to the public daily.

City Council District: N/A

Super District: N/A

County Commission District: 4