FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Wendi Lewis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
wendi.lewis@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2680
March 17, 2021
Support Pond Spring at Miss Annie Wheeler’s Drive-thru Heirloom Plant Sale
(Hillsboro, AL) A favorite event returns this spring, modified for social distancing. Miss Annie’s Heirloom Plant Sale, an annual fundraiser for Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, will be a “drive-thru” event this year. Supporters can place an order over the phone and arrange a date and time for pickup, with plants delivered right to the car. Orders and pickup will run from April 12-30.
"This is a unique way to allow our friends to help Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, while staying safe and following social distancing recommendations,” said site director Bruce Lipscombe. “Gardeners can purchase a piece of living history. This is an opportunity to buy a fond memory, take it home and watch it bloom," she says.
Plants available for sale are American Boxwood, daffodils, day lilies, English ivy, snowbells, spider lilies, vinca and wisteria – all harvested from Pond Spring gardens. Proceeds from the plant sale will fund future restoration efforts on the 50-acre site, which includes 12 historic buildings, gardens, and archaeological features that date back almost 5,000 years.
The main structure on the property is the post-Civil War home of Joseph Wheeler, who was a Confederate lieutenant general, a U.S. congressman, a Spanish-American War general, and one of only two generals to achieve the rank of general in the U.S. army after the Civil War. The site gets its name from the large spring-fed pond located on the grounds.
An order form listing available plants and prices can be found on the site’s Facebook page at facebook.com/PondSpringHistoricSite or the Alabama Historical Commission website at ahc.alabama.gov.
Call 256.637.8513 to place an order and arrange a date and time for drive-thru pickup on the grounds of the historic residence, located at 12208 Hwy 20, Hillsboro, Alabama, 35643.
Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home is a historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission. To learn more about Pond Spring or the Alabama Historical Commission please visit www.ahc.alabama.gov.
About Pond Spring: the General Joe Wheeler Home
Wheeler was a legendary Confederate general, a U.S. congressman, and a Spanish American War general. Following the Civil War, Wheeler became a national symbol for reunification and reconciliation. His 1870s home is the center point of the 50-acre historic site owned by the Historical Commission. The collection contains around 10,000 objects, furnishings, clothing, and papers associated with the family. Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, a historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission, is located in Lawrence County in Hillsboro, three miles east of Courtland, on Alabama Highway 20 (US Alt. 72).
About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov.
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