Shore Acres State Park, near Coos Bay, Oregon, was once the estate of Oregon pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson. The day-use park includes a magnificent five-acre garden overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Simpson bought the land in 1906 and built a three-story mansion. Landscape gardener David Masterton designed English-style gardens south of the mansion. In the 1970s, a team of Oregon State Parks landscape architects restored the Shore Acres gardens.
According to one of the interpretive signs at the gardens:
“Simpson’s landscape gardener David Masterton designed English-style gardens south of the mansion, with pergolas for climbing roses and gravel paths leading to beds of flowers and plants. The gardens were often open to visitors, and Simpson and his gardeners gave away seeds and cuttings to enhance the gardens of hundreds of Oregon homes.”
Public Lands
State parks are an important element in American public lands: they provide space for camping, recreation, spiritual development, and creativity. Here are some additional Oregon State Parks:
Public Lands: Sunset Bay State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Roads End (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Simpson Reef Overlook (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: The Green House at Shore Acres State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Flowers in Shore Acres State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Cape Arago State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Kite Surfing at South Beach State Park (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: The Views from Norton Gulch (Photo Diary)
Public Lands: Devils Lake State Park (Photo Diary)