Join Preservation Partners and the St. Charles Area Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the opening of the newly restored Polly and Walker Bowman Memorial Garden at the William Beith House!

In 1987, the garden behind the historic 1850 Beith House on the Fox River in downtown St. Charles was planted in memory of Polly Bowman, a beloved volunteer for Preservation Partners.

By 2023, the garden had become overgrown, however. After Polly's husband, Walker, passed away, their son, Warren Bowman, stepped forward to rehabilitate the garden. Months of planning and hard work removing plants and cleaning up the garden by Bowman, his daughter, and the Pottawatomie Garden Club followed. By the fall of 2025, the garden was ready for new plants. A fundraising campaign generated about $3,000, and the first new plants went in October of 2025. Then, in the spring, the remaining plants were planted. Throughout the summer, benches, artwork, and a trellis hand-built by Polly and Walker's granddaughter were installed.

And now, the garden is ready for visitors!

We are grateful to Warren for starting this project, his daughter Georgina, and the Pottawatomie Garden Club for sharing so many of their skilled volunteers with us.

Join us to celebrate the hard work of so many people and to enjoy this beautiful public space!