The Gates Mills Garden Club and Esquire's Cottage
Original painting by H. Craig Hanna
Founded in 1931, the Gates Mills Garden Club has enriched village life with its tradition of activities and beautification projects. For 90 years the Garden Club has been the steward of the Gates Mills Arboretum, a riverside park they established at the foot of the Pedestrian Bridge in the heart of the Village.
In 2011, the Garden Club voted to accept the bequest of Esquire’s Cottage, a house and barn on approximately 6 acres on Chagrin River Road. The property was the home of a past president of the Garden Club, Florence Stage, who bequeathed her home to the Garden Club. Upon her death, John Tuckerman, Florence’s husband, informed the Club of this future bequest, and made arrangements to fulfill her wishes. Today the property with its lovely gardens has been named Esquire's Cottage and serves as a living memorial to Florence.
In the 1950’s, when Florence Stage was Garden Club president, members held meetings in her barn. Present day members are doing this once again. Esquire’s Cottage hosts board and monthly meetings, contains ongoing club projects for flower shows and community activities, houses the existing library, and archives its yearbooks, awards and records. Themed gardens are lovingly maintained by Garden Club members and are a source of many plants for its annual plant sale. The property strengthens the Garden Club’s ability to serve its members, their families and friends, and the Village of Gates Mills.
Additionally, the cottage has historical value to the Village. The Stage Cottage is the oldest structure in Gates Mills on its original foundation. The house was built by Colonel Ezra Eddy and bears a historical plaque granted by the Gates Mills Historical Society. Colonel Eddy was born in Vermont where he learned a tanner’s trade and came to the valley in 1831. He became a prominent citizen, serving in the Ohio Militia and running a tannery in Gates Mills.