Mary Mowbray-Clarke (1874-1962) and the Dutch Garden
"Very early in life we 'trail clouds of glory'; we love being alive. Little by little, things shut down on us; we lose our 'clouds of glory'. To the artist this is unnecessary - people can carry on their love of living."
Mary Mowbray-Clarke was an extremely accomplished woman and landscape architect, who contributed much of her time and energy into bettering Rockland County. Moving to South Mountain Road with her husband, she began the elite creative community that thrived in this small portion of New City. She had studied with artists in Paris and Rockland, but it is considered that Dutch Gardens is her most excellent project, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After years of neglect, local representatives and citizens fought for federal grants to aid in restoring and maintaining the park.
