Exploring Duke Farms

Statues at Duke Farms

Hillsborough, New Jersey

Today, Duke Farms is a lush 2,740-acre nature preserve. Back in 1925 it was the home of the late heiress Doris Duke. Doris Duke was just 12-years old when she inherited the property after her father died. Eventually she gained control of the property after suing her mother. Doris restored the property and moved in at the age of fifteen. She loved her new home and made it her main residence. Doris incorporated innovative ecological farming methods and  in 1958 she created and designed, over a five-year period, a unique botanical display in the Horace Trumbauer conservatory and greenhouses known as Duke Gardens. Duke Gardens opened to the public in 1964. Doris Duke died in 1993. 

After almost seven years of preparation, the preserve opened 1,000 acres of forest, meadows and prized orchids to visitors. It is one of New Jersey's richest natural habitats. 

The images on this page are part of my "Re-inventing the Romans" Photo Gallery.

Click on any image to bring you to my website.

Despair in Black and White - texture

Inside the old Hay Barn: At the time of its construction, the Hay Barn was near the center of farming activity, but as more land was purchased and the farming moved elsewhere, the structure was no longer needed as a hay press. Following a fire in January 1915, the building remained abandoned. Doris Duke used the ruins as an outdoor sculpture gallery, placing individual marble statues of human figures in linear arrangements along the walls, which can still be seen today.

Ponder -  soft focus 

Denial of Death -HDR Gritty

Thoughts of You -  piontillism