In the latest video from the Salem Culture and Heritage Forum, you can explore the fascinating work of Salem landscape architects, Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver, along with their gardens at Deepwood and Bush House and their home at Gaiety Hollow.

Near the corner of Mission and Liberty Streets, you can learn about the many women who helped define independence in early Salem, Oregon:

• Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver established the first landscape design company on the west coast owned by women.
• Sally Bush was an avid photographer and philanthropist.
• Alice Brown cemented Deepwood’s place as a National Historic Landmark by establishing a vision for the house and gardens and maintaining it by herself for nearly forty years.

None of these women achieved successful independence on their own. In fact, these women were all friends and associates. Sally Bush and Elizabeth Lord were long-time friends and neighbors. Alice Brown hired Lord and Schryver to landscape her immense garden at Deepwood and continued to work with them over many decades, allowing them space to showcase their work and expand their craft. Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver lived together in a home that doubled as their office and show garden. Sally photographed the work of Elizabeth and Edith as well as much of life in early Salem.

Capital City Cornerstones Video Series

In 2013, the Oregon Heritage Commission recognized Salem as an Oregon Heritage All-Star Community for its wide range of local non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving Salem’s heritage and culture through a variety of community based programs, and the Salem Culture and Heritage Forum was established. The City continues to work collaboratively with the Forum to develop strategies and products like the video series, Capital City Cornerstones, to help promote Salem’s historic and cultural heritage.