Scientist to recreate Mabel Bell’s 100-year old gardens in Cape Breton
There’s no doubt Alexander Graham Bell has left an indelible mark on history, but his wife Mabel was also a trailblazer. Now, almost 100 years after her death, a Nova Scotia scientist is recreating her ecologically significant gardens.
Located between Beinn Bhreagh Mountain and Bras D’Or Lake, Beinn Bhreagh is a 19th century mansion and the historic home of Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell.
In the back of the grand estate is where some of Mabel’s gardens grew. In fact, apple trees she planted more than a century ago are still standing.
Alana Pindar, a research scientist, says Mabel’s understanding of ecology and the environment was well ahead of her time.
"I've learned that she has been probably one of the strongest women in science that has not been celebrated as much as she possibly should be,” said Pindar.
Pindar is working on recreating Mabel’s gardens.
Mary Tulle, chair of the Alexander Graham Bell Foundation, says the project is possible thanks to lessons from the past.
"The trustees of the Bell family gave us the opportunity to have a number of documents scanned and looked at,” explained Tulle.
Among those documents were some of Mabel old journals, which include detailed landscape plans. Tulle says they are being used as a template to replicate the old gardens at the Bell Museum.
"If she was to comment on what was happening today, 100 years later, how thrilled she would be. Humbly thrilled that the future has caught up to the past,” Tulle said.
The idea is that this century-old project can positively affect the next 100 years. The goal is to help teach people about conservation and growing their own food, in an effort to try and stave off things like climate change.
"The first seed is literally being planted on recreating a garden,” Tulle said. “(The hope is) that for generations, and starting with our children of today, to be able to come and learn how to plant, how to harvest."
Pindar says she can almost feel the scientist's guiding presence when she's at Beinn Bhreagh working on the garden restoration.
“Her journal entries and her designs of her landscape are so precise, it is almost like she wanted this replicated,” Pindar said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.