By Hanna Singh
The Railroad Park gardens received a beautiful enhancement Thursday morning from Ruston’s local Pierian Club.
In celebration of their 125th anniversary, the Pierian ladies dedicated 26 new rose plants to the city, planted in the West side garden beds at Railroad Park.
On the East side of the park, pink “Belinda’s Dream” roses have been a longstanding feature. However, the roses on the West side were a mixture of older, struggling plants that weren’t in good health or blooming well.
To celebrate their 125th anniversary, the Pierian Club decided to purchase and plant new “Belinda’s Dream” roses to match the rest of the park. This project was completed with the approval of Mayor Ronny Walker and the assistance of Julie Post, Civic Chairman of the club, along with Twin Oaks Nursery and O’Neal’s Nursery.
“For generations, the Pierian Club has significantly impacted our community in various ways, from promoting education and scholarship to enhancing the beauty of our entire city with trees and flowering plants,” said Ruston Mainstreet Director Amy Stegall. “They played a crucial role in preserving Railroad Park for our city.
“Today, in celebration of the Ruston Chapter’s 125th year, we officially dedicated their gift of 26 new roses to Railroad Park. This gift highlights the remarkable individuals and this organization that consistently support our city, and we are grateful for all they do.
Beverly Johnson, President of the Pierian Club, welcomed everyone to the dedication celebration with a brief statement about the club’s goals and expressed gratitude to those who contributed to the project.
“The object of the Pierian club is the promotion of social interaction, intellectual development and civic improvement,” Johnson said. “We would like to sincerely thank all involved in getting these roses planted.”
The Pierian Club was originally founded in 1899 by sixteen Ruston women as a social, civic and study club. They have performed a number of duties and community service projects in Ruston over the years. Some of these include sponsoring trees to be planted, donating fabric to be sent to military service children and raising funds for handicapped children.
Pierian Club Historian Teri Fulton addressed the crowd at the dedication, giving a short history of the club’s involvement in the town of Ruston.
“Their first civic duty was to beautify the Chautauqua grounds by hauling buckets of water from the local spring to water the flowers on the auditorium stage each day, it was a challenging job,” Fulton said. “Pierian club women have been active throughout Ruston ever since.”
The 26 new rose plants are located in the garden bed to the right of the auditorium stage in the West gardens of Railroad Park. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of dedicated organizations like the Pierian Club, the city of Ruston continues to be beautified year after year.
