Positively!Pottstown is proud to publish our first guest post and photos by Pottstown resident and freelance writer Rosemary Keane. Welcome, Rosemary!
On a recent weekend in June, a good friend and I left husbands and kids at home to go on the Pottstown Area Garden Club’s annual garden tour. We were both looking for some inspiration for our own home gardens and we found plenty.
All of the homes on the tour offered picturesque gardens, each with their own individual style and aesthetic. From the beautifully landscaped pool at the first home, to the Zen Japanese garden tucked away at a home in Trappe, we were amazed at the creativity and hard work that had gone into each one.
What we hadn’t expected to find was a 10-acre nature preserve – Beaufort’s Run – in Upper Pottsgrove Township. Tucked away on Detweiler Road, Beaufort’s Run is a privately-owned sanctuary that is open to the public and has been named a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
It was a hot and sticky Saturday morning, but as we made our way onto the wood chip path, we felt the temperature drop significantly under the shade of the trees. We followed the path all the way through the garden, which is dotted with little statues and signs and has several benches if you want to sit and just enjoy the beauty of the woods. Before we even finished walking the trail, we were talking about returning to Beaufort’s Run, but next time, we decided, we would bring our kids.
There is also a geocache stashed away in the preserve, for which you will need your handheld GPS and the secret location to find it. If you’ve never heard of geocaching, it’s basically a 21st century, high-tech scavenger hunt which begins at www.geocaching.com and sends you on the hunt for hidden treasures.
You can find more information about Beaufort’s Run and their mission to create a public resource with healing gardens, memorial gardens and a place for everyone to enjoy nature at their website: http://www.beaufortsrun.com.
The Pottstown Garden Club, which consists of about 70 gardening enthusiasts, sponsors the annual garden tour. They meet the second Friday of each month at Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Hanover Street in Pottstown. During the summer months, they meet at members’ homes. For more information, you can contact club president, Jo Ann Waddell at 610-948-6415. 
Positively Pottstown blog 
What a wonderful find. Thank you Rosemary, beautifully written. We are looking forward to an excursion to commune with Mother Nature at Beaufort’s Run!