The Rose Gardens of Willamette University

Written by Juliette Burns, Class of 2026

Mission Rose Garden
The first rose garden at Willamette University got its beginnings in a few conversations among flower enthusiasts. The Pioneer Rose Association, founded in February 1935, was a group of rose connoisseurs who were especially interested in the rose species brought to Oregon by pioneer women.¹ The founder of this organization, Mary Drain Albro, began correspondence with Robert Gatke, a professor of history and political science at Willamette, about planting on campus a “Mission Rose.”² This flower was one such early plant species brought by pioneers, which has its own mythology around it.

The story that circulated in the Pioneer Rose Association was that the Beers family brought a rose with them when joining the Jason Lee party traveling to Oregon in 1837. Jason Lee, as some may be aware, was a Methodist missionary who was involved in the schools which would become Willamette University. The family presented the rose to Anna Marie Pittman just before she and Lee were married that same year. Pittman named it the ‘Mission Rose,’ as it was planted outside the mission house. She died within a year, but the rose bloomed until the mission building was abandoned. The rose species continued to grow and was planted in various places around Oregon as new arrivals settled.³ It is important to acknowledge the pro-colonization attitude maintained by the creators of this garden, and the uncritical praise they had for settlers and missionaries. The legacy of these ideas is a core part of Willamette’s history.

According to an article in the Willamette University alumni magazine The Scene, the exact rose variety which can claim the title of “Mission Rose” is up for debate. The article names a few contenders: the ‘Quatre Saison,’ aka Rosa damascena bifera; the ‘Provence,’ aka Rosa centifolia; and the Rosa damascena semperflorens. The centifolia is colloquially called a ‘Cabbage Rose’ and the other two are called ‘Autumn Damask Roses’.⁴ The descriptions of the coloring of the ‘Mission Rose’ by Albro fit all three of these roses. She describes a pink flower with a yellow center, which could grow to heights of ten to twelve feet when left alone.⁵

Albro and Gatke worked together throughout 1938 to set up a plot for the flowers and a dedication ceremony where they would plant the Mission Rose and set up a plaque for Anna Marie Pittman.⁶ The dedication ceremony occurred on May 22nd, 1938. The plaque read: “Mission Rose Garden, In Memory of Anna Marie Pittman, Bride of Jason Lee, July 16, 1837, Dedicated, May 22, 1938, Pioneer Rose Assn.” This marker still sits on a small boulder in the northwestern corner of the modern garden, near State Street. The garden itself, in whatever form it took, was removed from campus at an unknown date. The exact location of the original garden cannot be confirmed. It was said to have been placed on the site of the Oregon Institute, the original building which would grow into Willamette University. This building was located around where Walton Hall stands today, as a plaque near the building indicates.

“Mission Rose Garden, In Memory of Anna Marie Pittman, Bride of Jason Lee, July 16, 1837, Dedicated, May 22, 1938, Pioneer Rose Assn.”

Sesquicentennial Rose Garden
In 1992, the university was celebrating its 150th anniversary, and a garden with 150 initial roses was recommended as part of the festivities by the Alumni Association Board.⁷ This Sesquicentennial Rose Garden is placed north of Eaton next to State Street. The garden was set up with pathways, rectangular spaces of dirt for the rose bushes, and a bench dedicated to the senior class. On May 13th, the senior class of 1992 buried a time capsule in the garden, near the bench, to be opened in 2042. This capsule included videotapes, photographs, a yearbook, and dedications inscribed on tablets buried at the Star Trees when they were planted in 1942, which had been found by an archeology class.⁸ The flowers planted initially were based on donations from professors, parents, and alumni, which provided for the rose bush as well as a plaque with a desired message in front of the bush.⁹ Most of these roses are hybrid tea, floribunda, or grandiflora varieties.

This garden is filled with various dedications from throughout the history of the university. There is the plaque for the Sesquicentennial Rose Garden, the plaque for the Mission Rose Garden, and the other dedications such as the brick pillars and sundial. The pillars were a gift from the class of 1915, just before their graduation, and, at the time, they were considered the entrance to campus.¹⁰ The sundial was given by the following year’s seniors.¹¹ These latter two were already present when the garden was placed. The Sesquicentennial Rose Garden has been growing strong for three decades so far, with more roses added and maintained through the years.

Endnotes

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ˆ Mary Drain Albro, “Report of Activities and History of the Rose,” Pioneer Rose Association of Oregon, c. 1935.
ˆ Robert Gatke to Mary Drain Albro, February 15, 1938, Portland, Oregon.
ˆ Mary Drain Albro, “Report of Activities and History of the Rose”
ˆ 4 “Rose Garden Dedicated,” The Scene, Willamette University, Salem OR, May 1, 1992; sissinghurstntblog, “Roses are Blooming—Part 2,” July 6, 2013, Sissinghurst Garden; “Rosa x centifolia,” Wild Flowers Provence; “Rosa Damascena Semperflorens (Autumn Damask)” heriloomroses.com
ˆ Mary Drain Albro, “Report of Activities and History of the Rose”
ˆ Correspondences between Mary Drain Albro & Robert Gatke, c. 1938, Portland, Oregon.
ˆ Annette Dietz, ‘New rose garden to mark 150th,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), October 11, 1991
ˆ “Sesquicentennial Finale,” The Scene, Willamette University (Salem OR), Summer, 1992; Erin Bell, “WU students called upon to leave items for future,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), April 24, 1992
ˆ “New rose garden is dedicated as part of sesquicentennial,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), September 18, 1992
ˆ “Seniors make beautiful gift,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), June 15, 1915
ˆ “Sun Dial is Given: Contract is Let For Senior Gift to University,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), May 24, 1916

Works Referenced

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Albro, Mary Drain. “Report of Activities and History of the Rose.” Pioneer Rose Association of Oregon. Letters of Former Students, 1937-1963, box 2, Folder 4. Robert M. Gatke “Chronicles of Willamette” research collection, WUA008. Willamette University Archives and Special Collections. https://willamette.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/5123
Program of Dedication of Mission Rose Bushes, 1938. Letters of Former Students, 1937-1963, box 2, Folder 4. Robert M. Gatke “Chronicles of Willamette” research collection, WUA008. Willamette University Archives and Special Collections. https://willamette.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/5123
Bell, Erin. “WU students called upon to leave items for future,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR). April 24, 1992. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8083
Dietz, Annette. ‘New rose garden to mark 150th,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR). October 11, 1991. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10613
Gatke, Robert M. Robert M. Gatke to Mary Drain Albro, Portland, OR, February 15, 1938. Letters of Former Students, 1937-1963, box 2, Folder 4. Robert M. Gatke “Chronicles of Willamette” research collection, WUA008. Willamette University Archives and Special Collections. https://willamette.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/5123
“Rose Garden Dedicated,” The Scene, Willamette University, Salem OR, May 1, 1992. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/11649
“New rose garden is dedicated as part of sesquicentennial,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), September 18, 1992. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8932
“Seniors make beautiful gift,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), June 15, 1915. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/10335
“Sesquicentennial Finale,” The Scene, Willamette University, Summer, 1992. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/8932
“Sun Dial is Given: Contract is Let For Senior Gift to University,” Willamette Collegian (Salem, OR), May 24, 1916. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/9833

Image Citations

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“Rose Garden Dedication,” May 16, 1992, black and white, Willamette Archives and Special Collections. https://hdl.handle.net/10177/27083

Juliette Burns