LIFESTYLENATURE purchased 204 acres of land on the Cape May Peninsula. One year later, Christopher perished and the property was left to Thomas, who left it to his son, who left it to his son, who added on to the property making it 330 acres, and then split it between his sons. In the name of posterity and Leaming, property was passed on to and divided between them for years, shedding acreage only sometimes to outsiders. It changed farm hands a few times before the Leaming house and 50 acres finally sold to the present owners, Jack and Emily Aprill in 1957. They shaved 30 acres of the westernmost end in a transaction with the state — for conservation purposes — and created Leaming’s Run Gardens in 1976. In her book, Leaming’s Run Gardens — How It All Began, Emily Aprill expressed, “I don’t believe in fate as a rule, but finding this beautiful old house with fifty acres, I believe was fate.” The acreage, which the sellers were seemingly apologetic for at the sale, was dealt by a hand of fate that laid the proverbial and literal groundwork for the gardens. Thomas Jefferson, a man who believed that plants could revolutionize civilization, wrote, “The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” The Aprills are indeed guilty of such a great service. With a house on the property which predates the country’s independence, the gardens the Aprills created would pave the way for their own peace. It was the house that drew them to the property, but what would become of said property was an idea planted in Jack’s plans that he would later cultivate. The house is called the Thomas Leaming House. It was built in 1706, the year that also very politely offered us Benjamin Franklin. It is an aboriginal dwelling in Cape May County, and the last stranded whaler’s house in the county. It was Thomas Leaming who built the house in early settler style, with a sturdy timber frame construction. The Thomas Leaming House was witness to the birth of our country and still stands today in its white garb like a time capsule decorated with flowers. A tall spruce welcomes you at the front door and a sugar maple stands at the back door to accompany the exit. Neither tree is endemic, but a tale Jack came across tells of the power of these trees in warding off goblins. It was the land that gave Jack, who was raised on a farm and always planted vegetable and flower gardens where he landed, a hankering for gardening. An island of peace is what Jack and Emily Aprill intended to create with these gardens.
by KELLY NICOLE TJOUMAKARIS
A visit to Leaming’s Run Gardens, Cape May County’s spectacular and wellpreserved historic gardens Photos courtesy of Missie Aprill from Leamings Run and The Tetleys The historic Thomas Leaming House built in 1706
The view from the bridge showing the larger pond
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LIFESTYLE | Summer 2013 37