Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PEONY TRAIL
PEONY TRAIL. In 1947 Edwin B. LYONS, remembered for the E. B. LYONS INTERPRETATIVE CENTER bearing his name, established Dubuque's famous "peony trail" in memory of his wife. Through a trust fund, he fulfilled his wife's dream with a trail of peony plants on the islands along two miles of Grandview Avenue and in city parks.
The trail was a project begun by Mrs. E. M. Lyons in 1938 along with the Civic Garden Club. In the first year, volunteers planted 6,000 peony plants during September and October. The goal was to have 10,000 along the streets and in the local parks. Residents dividing plants in the fall were asked to contribute to the project. A call to a member of the Garden Club would result in someone coming to the contributor's home to pick up the plant. Financial contributions were also welcomed.
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Source:
Lyons, Mrs. E. M Lyons, "More Peonies to be Planted," Telegraph Herald, August 20, 1939, p. 3