This painting memorializes the gathering of three special men at Bartram’s Gardens June,
10th 1787. John Bartram had built the gray stone home on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Kingsessing. He was very familiar with our Founding Fathers. In fact, we know that 6 of the seven founding fathers had visited Bartram’s Garden – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.
- Benjamin Franklin was John’s best friend. They founded the Philadelphia Philosophical Society together. He tried hard to get William gracefully employed but that didn’t work out.
- Thomas Jefferson was a frequent visitor and purchased many shrubs and trees from the Bartrams. Copies of letters exchanged with both John and William can still be read today.
- George Washington declined William Bartram’s request to dedicate his book TRAVELS to Washington. Washington didn’t think it was appropriate for the President to be so recognized. Many of the trees at Mount Vernon were purchased from Bartram’s Gardens.
- Remember the Gardens are just across the Skyulkill River from Philadelphia and Independence Hall.
- Notice John is not there – he had died in 1777 – ten years earlier.
- Although William is not in the painting, probably because of his shyness, he was there. And that’s where the story begins.
The Continental Congress began May 25th 1787 and by Friday, July 13th the debating on the structure of the new Union was stalled and the convention was on verge of collapse. Five more “yea’s” were needed to adopt the three-branch representative government we now have. After adjourning, Manasseh Culter and James Madison gathered at the local tavern – the Indian Queen – for after dinner conversation. When other delegates overheard Cutler and Madison were planning an excursion to Bartram’s Garden in the morning, several wanted to go.
At 5:00AM just before daybreak on Saturday morning, July 14th, a group gathered at the Indian Queen Tavern, boarded carriages and crossed the floating bridge over the Schuylkill River arriving at Bartram’s Gardens just at daybreak. Included in the group was James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and 10 other delegates from Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania. (Franklin would have been there but his kidney stones kept him home). They arrived at first light and found a barefoot William Bartram hoeing the flowerbeds. “He just stared at us,” said Cutler.
William spent three hours answering botanical questions about the gardens which by design included shrubs and trees representing each of the 13 states.
So, two days later, on Monday July 16th, the Convention convened and the voting continued. At the end of the day, the votes were changed by delegates from Virgina, North Carolina and Massachusetts thereby turning the 13 states into one nation.
It can only be speculated that a three hour walk on a cool summer morning among the United States of America’s most glorious shrubs and trees influenced these men. But what we do know is that the three who changed sides and made the Great Compromise possible that day had all been there and marveled at what they saw. They changed their vote because the union was worth it.
Palatka’s William Bartram Chapter of the DAR can be proud of their namesake.