Description

Even before President Abraham Lincoln officially created a Department of Agriculture in 1862, the Bureau of Agriculture, part of the Patent Office, was growing crops on the National Mall, conducting research, and distributing seeds across the country. In 1865, the Department of Agriculture expanded its presence on the Mall, creating landscaped gardens and growing experimental crops. By the 1930s, formal gardens surrounded its main building, as shown in this photograph.

Date

1930

Coverage

1920-1949

Source

District of Columbia Public Library. View original.