Spohr Gardens

Do you love mill stones and anchors? Charles “Charlie” Dolbeer “Doddie” Spohr and Margaret Ellen “Skip” King Spohr sure did. Spohr Gardens in Falmouth, MA holds their lifetime collection of mill stones, anchors, and a few ship bells along peaceful walkways lined with plants. While I arrived past flower season during my five-day trip to Cape Cod in August 2024, I could still enjoy the solitude of a walk beside the quiet lake.

Charlie and Margaret were World War II veterans who first met around 1946 at Mayo Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, where he recovered from war injuries, and she worked as a nurse. After they married, Charlie retired from the Army and worked as an engineer, while Margaret continued working for the Air Force as a head nurse. In 1950, they began buying land in Falmouth for their home, “The Fells”, and designed the gardens together. They would receive many local awards for this project.

Once people know you are a collector, they often give you whatever they do not want that would fit into your collection. This was the case for Charlie and his millstones. With about seventy on the grounds, the biggest millstones are eight feet across and weigh thousands of pounds. While the number of anchors is not as numerous, thirteen line the stony bank of the pond along with others scattered throughout the garden. The largest anchor was made in 1760 at fourteen feet long and indented to belong to the ship HMS Bounty, although it was seemingly never put to use due to poor construction.

Spohr Gardens is free and open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The gardens hold events throughout the year, including planting daffodils and welcoming butterflies. While some people with limited mobility may enjoy the main paths and find places to sit, the grounds are not wheelchair accessible. This is the perfect place to relax after several hours of learning history.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 9/10

Accessibility: 7/10