THE GROUNDS

Click on the West Panorama or East Panorama for panoramic views of Helme House. The West Panorama showing the front of the house is looking west from the country road and the East Panorama scans from the southeast showing the rear of the house and several outbuildings. Use the scroll key to move through the view.

The woodland walks that surround the property were the vision of Arthur S. Lambert (tenure 1957 - 2000) along with the planting of the numerous daffodils that are colorfully displayed throughout the grounds during the spring months of April and May.

The grounds have yielded ceramic fragments which surfaced just north of the original kitchen of the 1812 House.

The glass refuse pit was located in a path some distance from the back of the house. The area had been disturbed by prior diggings for glass bottles but each year additional fragments of glass surface. Various types of bottles have been removed from the glass pit by Arthur Lambert.

Additionally a metal refuse pit was located in same path and in close proximity to the glass refuse pit. Several items have been removed for conservation and can be located in the COLLECTIONS section as well as additional information on items found in the kitchen and glass refuse pits.

Features:

The most prominent feature is located on the north side of the property as from the very earliest of records reference has been made to the swamp at the "ould mans" when indicating property locations. The large clay bed located in Miller Place provided these early settlers with a captured water source. Additionally, the swamp was later reconfigured into the pond as we know it today. The swamp flows through and ends on the Helme House property. Every spring the skunk cabbage bloom giving the swamp a very different appearance.

On the south side of the property there is an allee of very old locust trees with massive girths that will lead us to the entrance of one of the woodland walks.

Tree Selection:
Catalpa spp.
Cherry
Locust
Maple (not original to the site)
Pine – Fir
Walnut

Bush & Shrub Selection:
(Note: Many of the following bushes were not original to the site.)
Dwarf Boxwood
Boxus
Holly
Hydranga
Mock Orange
Spicebush (Clethra alnifolia)
Witchhazel (Hamamelis)