Elm Bank Horticulture Center

Dover, Massachusetts, United States

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Elm Bank Horticulture Center in Dover, Massachusetts, is a 36-acre site with a rich history dating back to the 18th century when it was first known as the Natick Plain and later named for the elm trees planted along the Charles River by Colonel John Jones.

Over the centuries, it was home to prominent families including the Lorenings, Broads, Otises, and Benjamin Pierce Cheney, an American Express founder who greatly influenced the estate’s development. The property features a Neo-Georgian manor house designed in 1907 by Carrère and Hastings, with grounds originally planned by the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape firm. In the 20th century, the estate was used as a seminary and technical school before being acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Since 1996, it has served as the headquarters of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which transformed it into a premier educational and botanical center with restored historic gardens, trial gardens for new plant species, and various demonstration gardens maintained by local horticultural organizations. Elm Bank offers a place for horticultural learning, plant conservation, and public enjoyment, blending its historical legacy with modern garden education and community programs.​