History of the Garden
In 1950, Henry McGill purchased a block of land that was home to a coal yard owned by W. A. Avant. Avant, owner of Avant Fuel and Ice Co., sold the property to Henry, who kept the coal business running for a while afterwards. Helen McGill, Henry’s wife, decided to beautify the area by planting two rose bushes, and eventually added numerous rose beds over three decades to the property.
Today, discover the Seaboard Coastline coal car still on its tracks, located to the left of the garden. The Seaboard Railroad Company donated the 34-ton coal hopper car as a memorial in memory of Helen McGill.
McGill Rose Garden Timeline
- 1950 Land purchased by Henry McGill
- 1967 Garden open to public on Mother’s Day
- 1973 McGill Day of Appreciation declared by Mayor John Belk, who recognized their "painstaking care" and "unselfish efforts" to bring beauty to a once blighted area
- 1975 McGill’s business closed and the property became the McGill Rose Garden
- 1985 Helen McGill died, and Mr. McGill and the City of Charlotte (represented by Mayor Harvey Gantt) dedicated a lovely fountain in the garden to Helen’s memory
- 1996 Non-profit organization, managed by a volunteer Board of Directors was established
- 1998 McGill Rose Garden declared an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) public garden, one of only a handful in the entire state
- 2002 50th Anniversary celebration of the garden
- 2003 Henry McGill’s 100th birthday
- 2007 Henry McGill passed away on March 10 at 103 years old
- NOW Over 200 varieties of roses along with annuals, perennials and herbs, fountains and statuary
You Tube Tour
Board of Directors, Hale mast, leads a tour through the garden and explains the garden's rich history and interestsClick Text Here
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