over the world . This left an imprint on Diana – and from an early age , gardening was always an important part of Diana ’ s life .
The Young Diana at Glebelands
Long before she owned Glebelands , Diana Morgan was a guest at the Glebelands Estate .
In the mid-1920s ( a couple of years before Diana ’ s birth ), two of the Morgan children fell ill . The family was instructed by a doctor in New Jersey to leave Princeton and head north to a clearer and cooler climate so the children could recuperate during the summer . They spent their first Vermont summer in Greensboro , but subsequently opted to relocate to Manchester , eventually purchasing a plot of land and building a house on it , designed by Professor Sherley Morgan .
The Morgan family ’ s Southern Vermont home was affectionately known as “ Birchbrook ” – a property Diana described as “ a cross between a Swiss chalet and an Adirondack camp house .” The aesthetic style was the exact opposite of Diana ’ s year-round childhood home in Princeton , which was designed in line with Georgian style conventions . Birchbrook was strictly a summertime house . Its walls were one board thick . It didn ’ t have any insulation or much of a foundation . All of the pipes were above ground , and it wasn ’ t winterized whatsoever . It was built over a year-long period starting in 1928 ( the year Diana was born ).
Over the years , the Morgans befriended several other families who came to Manchester for the summer , including the Clarks , the Lewis family , and the Hardys ( the previous owners of the Glebelands Estate ). The Morgan
Alfred Van Santvoord Olcott Jr . “ Van ” and Diana Morgan Olcott on their wedding day .
Left to right : Richard , Leslie , Van , Townsend and Diana . manchester life magazine 2021 9