The Gardens were a gift from Mary Duke Biddle in honor of her mother, Sarah P. Duke (Mrs. Benjamin N.). Construction began in 1932 and the site was open to the public in 1934. Ellen Shipman (1869-1950) designed the plans for both the construction and the plantings for the new gardens. Collection contains materials pertaining to the origins and activities of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens including planting plans, calendars, correspondence, feasibility studies, annual reports, a card catalog of plantings, and publicity. Materials in the collection date from 1926-2012.