It has been a year of nostalgia for the Camden Garden Club. In March, they celebrated its 100th anniversary year and on July 16 hosted its popular 68 annual House and Garden Tour. This year, the public was “treated to a very special look at favorite homes and gardens from the past, and those grand summer cottages so symbolic of the Maine coast,” as highlighted in the club’s press release.

Seven properties were featured in the tour, including the home of the club’s first president, Emma Alden. The Alden House at Harbor Hill, a 1855 Queen Anne Victorian, is where Alden lived when the club was founded a hundred years ago.

The weather was perfect for the tour and the variety of hats worn by club members and those enjoying the tour were both practical and a fashion statement to the era of the summer cottages.

There was a special addition to the tour this year with a craft show and historical exhibit on the club’s history at the St. Thomas Church in Camden.

Proceeds from the tour will support the club’s many projects in Camden, including geraniums on lampposts in summer, scholarships and maintenance of the Village Green.

All photos by Sarah Shepherd except the first photo which is courtesy of the Camden Garden Club.