Bedford Garden Club Originals New York s Eloise Luquer and Delia Marble The History Press

In 1911, two neighbors in their 40s helped start one of the first garden clubs in America, in Bedford, NY. Two years later they were notable early members of the Garden Club of America. After joining the groups, these originals - in affiliations and personality - wakened their underutilized potential and discovered how women, one good friend at a time, can unite to change their town and country.

Eloise Luquer's exquisite wildflower watercolors and her fostering of nature trails and preservation earned her the title "The Audubon of Wildflowers." Delia Marble empowered the Bedford Agricultural Training Camp for Women - the first such prep site for WWI farmerettes in the nation. Together and with other allies, the small-town spinsters made an impactful difference in culture and environmental history.

Author Judy Culbreth reveals the remarkable lives of two Bedford garden club originals.