Gunnar Peterson (1880–1951), Virginia's first horticulturalist, was hired in 1926 and became renowned for his elaborate flower beds at this location. Born in Sweden, he learned landscape architecture under his father and grandfather and received additional training in Germany. One example of his work, done in 1934, was a tribute to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This floral bed measured 20 feet by 30 feet and contained 13,000 plants of various shapes and colors. Looking northward in the photo, the old school farm and superintendent's house can be seen on the site now occupied by Essentia Health, Virginia.