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Avery Island's Jungle Gardens

Pam and Edmund McIlhenny's photographs of Avery Island's Jungle Gardens, which was originally the home of E. A. McIlhenny, the third president of McIlhenny Company, and a well known naturalist. Around 1895 he helped save the Snowy Egrets from extinction, by establishing a rookery that became known as Bird City. Over time he continued to build his home into a 170-acre park filled with hundreds of varieties of Azaleas, Camellias, and other species nestled among the majestic Southern Live Oaks. Jungle Gardens was opened to the public in 1935, and has remained so ever since. The Jungle Gardens website, www.junglegardens.org, has more information as well as directions and hours of operation, and www.TABASCO.com also outlines the history of this beautiful garden. A more detailed history can be found in The History of Jungle Gardens by Lisa B. Osborn, Shane K. Bernard, and Scott Carroll. Jungle Gardens is a lovely place to take photographs. We hope you enjoy our collection, which is always a work in progress. Warmest regards, Pam and Edmund McIlhenny
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    This stairway has an interesting history.  E. A. McIlhenny had a friend, Charles W. Ward from Long Island, who sailed his yacht, the Ethel M. Ward, to Avery Island each fall during the early 1900's to visit and to hunt.  He built the boathouse that is still visible in Jungle Gardens, and set up large living and cooking tents up the hill from the boathouse.  Eventually the tents acquired a roof and walls, resulting in a house with a rather peculiar layout.  After Mr. Ward quit coming to the Island due to health issues, one of E. A. McIlhenny's daughters lived in the house with her husband for a a few years beginning in 1920.  Several years later, the house burned down due to faulty wiring, and all that remains is the lovely staircase and a Camellia garden where the house once stood.
    Camellias are native to eastern and southern Asia. They became very popular in Europe in the mid 1800's, and gardeners in South Louisiana began importing them to improve our gardens. E. A. McIlhenny took a special interest in the beautiful plants. By 1941 he had collected over 700 varieties of Camellias to grow in Jungle Gardens, at least 18 of which he originated. 

See   The History of Jungle Gardens by Lisa B. Osborn, Shane K. Bernard, and Scott Carroll).
    Picnic area at Jungle Gardens under Southern Live Oaks draped in Spanish Moss, with Resurrection Fern in abundance.