Camden’s Harbor Park in the winter. Tim Shaw photo

Camden and the Camden Public Library plan to join the nationwide Olmsted 200 celebration of the work and philosophy of the Olmsted firm over the past 200 years of American park design.

Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. was born in 1822, and his and his sons’ designs of parks and landscapes have had an enormous impact on the philosophy and appearance of public spaces in the country in general and Camden in particular.

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Courtesy of the National Association of Olmsted Parks

The Camden library will offer an exhibit celebrating Harbor Park and the Village Green as part of the celebration. The exhibit will portray in photographs and text of the Olmsted design philosophy, vintage construction photographs, modern color photographs, and the story of how the park came to be, because of the generosity, vision, and talent of Mary Louise Curtis Bok as well as Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The library exhibit will be on display during October in the library’s Picker Room at 55 Main St.

The month-long celebration will include a talk by Eleanor Ames at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26 on Zoom. Eleanor “Noni” Ames is a landscape designer and historian who served as the co-chair of the National Association for Olmsted Parks as well as founding the Maine Olmsted Alliance for Parks and Landscapes.

The alliance was folded into the Maine Historical Society in Portland a decade ago.

“In the face of the pandemic, Olmsted’s parks and places have proven more important than ever,” according to the Olmsted 200 website. “These places did not appear by accident. They took generations of dedicated stewardship and will require generations, going forward. . . . In good times and in times of crisis, parks and open spaces give people from all walks of life a place to connect. They offer a setting for diverse individuals and groups to find common ground, whether playing host to family celebrations, local festivals, political rallies or other activities.”

The Cultural Landscape Foundation has summarized the history of Harbor Park and the Village Green. “Hired by patron Mary Louise Curtis Bok,” says the report, “Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. prepared a plan in 1928 for the neglected two-acre hillside between Camden Harbor and the Camden Library. Simultaneously, Fletcher Steele designed the Camden Library Amphitheatre directly across Atlantic Avenue, a unique convergence of work by two of the most important American landscape architects in the 20th century.

Sea wall and dam construction in Camden. Courtesy of the National Association of Olmsted Parks

“Employing strategic grading operations, Olmsted’s design emphasized framing views, especially those of the harbor from the library’s Palladian window, as well as views by boat toward nearby Mt. Battie and Mt. Megunticook. Curved walking paths led from street level to the shore, and generous planting beds concealed views of the backs of contiguous houses and stores. Olmsted proposed numerous native plants such American arborvitae, juniper, and blueberry, along with old-fashioned shrubs such as weigela, lilac, and tree hydrangea.

“Much of Olmsted’s plan was carried out. After a period of neglect, both Harbor Park and the Camden Library Amphitheatre were rehabilitated in 2004. Today Harbor Park features lawns for public gatherings, sweeping views, benches fashioned after the original design, and hundreds of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing resource to the High Street Historic District in 1989.” The Harbor Park project was originally known as Camden Shore Front Park.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation has a thumbnail history of Village Green as well. “After a fire destroyed a summer hotel with sweeping views of Camden Harbor, a group of patrons led by Mary Louise Curtis Bok purchased the one-half acre site and hired Olmsted Brothers to design a village green. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. completed the design and Leon H. Zach was the site inspector.

A vintage image of Camden’s Village Green. Courtesy of the National Association of Olmsted Parks

For more information, contact Julia Pierce, programs and events coordinator at the library, at 207-236-3440 or visit librarycamden.org.

Mysterious paths, a key design element in Harbor Park in Camden. Contributed photo