Back Alley Tour & Tea returns to rousing success

This was one of more than 20 gardens open to the public, as part of the Back Alley Tour and Tea in Shepherdstown. Toni Milbourne
SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Community Club’s annual Back Alley Tour & Tea returned this past weekend, after an unexpected hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Beautiful weather played a part in the successful return, as hundreds of visitors purchased their tickets for a sneak peek into some of the most beautiful gardens in town.
“This is a way to see Shepherdstown in a whole new light,” said Jenny Haynes, vice president of the Shepherdstown Community Club. “There are so many secret gardens and they are always evolving that you always get to see something you haven’t seen before.
“We sold almost 700 tickets on Saturday,” Haynes said, adding that it was nice to see both old and new faces at the event.
The tour featured approximately 20 backyards, featuring spectacular gardens. In addition, high tea was served in the second-floor ballroom of the War Memorial Building, while the traditional art show of the Friday Painters was on display on the first floor.

The War Memorial Building ballroom was adorned with decorations befitting a high tea, during the Shepherdstown Community Club’s annual Back Alley Tour & Tea. Toni Milbourne
It took many volunteers to make the weekend activities a success. Early on both days, helpers could be found assembling tasty treats for the tea, as the ballroom was decorated with a beautiful array of teacups. The teacups have been donated to the Shepherdstown Community Club over the past several years and are used lovingly at each tea.
“The volunteers are great! There is no way we could do this event without them,” Haynes said as she sang the praises of the local Daisy Girl Scout who volunteered at the tea. “It certainly takes a village.”
Along with volunteers at the War Memorial Building to help with the tea, docents were recruited for each of the garden spots along the tour route.
Rick Taylor, who served as a docent on Sunday, said he was there, because his wife is on the board of the Shepherdstown Community Club. In actuality, Taylor was a gem when it came to conversing with guests on the tour, making them feel welcome and encouraging their questions.
Jane McSwain, who served as a docent on Saturday, returned on Sunday to visit some of the gardens she was not able to see while working.
“The gardens are just beautiful,” McSwain said, adding that she has attended the event since it began.
“I have found every year that we find things we haven’t seen in the years before. Venturing into the backyards of these houses show beautiful places,” said Bill Sturtevant, commenting as well on the amount of hard work that each garden owner puts in to getting their property ready for the tour.
Adam and Shannon Thomas, owners of the historic Shepherd Grist Mill, opened their garden for attendees. Adam said he was proud to have the mill wheel turning as guests stopped in to visit. According to the couple, they hoped to offer additional event gatherings at the mill outside of participating in the Back Alley Tour & Tea, which might help cover the maintenance costs of keeping the historic property intact. The couple said they were pleased to have obtained the mill as their home, and look forward to sharing its history through many more events.
- This was one of more than 20 gardens open to the public, as part of the Back Alley Tour and Tea in Shepherdstown. Toni Milbourne
- The War Memorial Building ballroom was adorned with decorations befitting a high tea, during the Shepherdstown Community Club’s annual Back Alley Tour & Tea. Toni Milbourne