‘A Garden Inferior to Few’: The Williamsburg Garden of John Custis IV

John Custis IV, in addition to being a member of the political elite and the first father-in-law of Martha Washington, was the creator of one of the most renowned colonial gardens of the early eighteenth century. The four-acre garden was said to contain gravel paths, topiary, hundreds of native and imported plant varieties, and statues. While his correspondence with gardening luminaries such as Peter Collinson revealed much about the plants, the appearance and layout remained a mystery—until now. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation concluded a five-year archaeological excavation to uncover this important lost landscape. We will explore the evidence to discover the design for the garden, revealing a truly baroque layout.

JACK GARY is Executive Director of Archaeology for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He leads a team of archaeologists, curators, and scholars to reveal the hidden stories of Williamsburg’s past. He is the former Director of Archaeology and Landscapes for Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest.

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