06/09/2026
Springtime in Ohio is magical as the dogwoods, azaleas, tulips, and other flowers bloom and add color to the landscape that was so bleak and brown during the winter. Gardening was and is a popular pastime here in Mogadore and has quite a history of members of the community who enjoyed making our landscapes and gardens more beautiful and colorful.
The Mogadore Garden Club was first established in 1931. Its purpose was “to cultivate the spirit of gardening in its fullest sense; together with an appreciation of civic beauty and betterment in and around Mogadore; to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening among amateurs; to share in the protection of birds and native plants; and to encourage civic plantings.”
The club’s projects included providing Easter egg hunts and decorations, a Christmas tree and decorations, and annual plantings, and participating in the annual flower show of the Akron Garden Forum and the Tallmadge Garden Forum. Meetings were held at various venues in the area, including the library, the Tallmadge YWCA, the Garden Mart at Stan Hywet, and local high schools. The club was active at least through the 1970s.
The Historical Society’s archives include a picture of some of the members of this club at a 4th of July pageant in 1933.
There was an overlap of local gardening groups when another organization in Mogadore was created in 1960. This group was basically the next generation of women and called themselves the Dirt Daubers. The club’s purpose was “to promote the interests and knowledge of its members in flower arranging, home gardening, and landscaping.” The group later added “hand crafts” to be included in their purpose.
Because the club took turns meeting at each other’s homes, it was limited to 20 members at a time. There were also five associate members who could ask to be admitted to the club once one of the original 20 members left the group. Although this very talented group continued to follow the purposes that were set in its by-laws, the members transitioned into a social group as well. Traditional flower arranging and home gardening took place, but the group added style shows as well. Betty Bauhart, one of the two remaining living members of the Dirt Daubers (the other being Dorothy Suman), said that one of their meetings was a style show at her home on Louise Street where JC Penney stylists came and decorated her backyard for the group to help showcase their styles.
The group disbanded around 2020 as the members aged out or passed on. But planting, landscaping, and decorating village flower boxes and other areas of the Mogadore community were always an enjoyable part of being in the club, whose members lent their talent and aesthetic to the village.
Some of the members of the Dirt Daubers Club are pictured below.
