The Sunken Garden

The year is 1918 when Georgia and William Bemish move to the quiet town of Rochester, New York. It is a major change for them both, coming from the bustling city, of New York, but they see the potential.From the moment she sees him, Georgia, heir to the J.K. Post Drug company is enthralled by William. He is an art dealer in NYC but wanted to set up his own museum. He saw Rochester as the perfect place and proved himself as he met the people and settled into the community, After finding the right spot for his museum he hired Elwood Blatt to handle the planning and organization of exhibits while he met with local companies buying collections of artifacts, documents, and historical items.The Bemishes soon are accepted by the elite society that includes the Sibleys, Eastmans, Forman's, and McCurdy's. These acquaintances become friends and share vital details; one of which is the location they see as becoming the heart of the area; Irondequoit.It wasn't easy moving away from the city, but they soon build their dream house, just off the main thoroughfare of St. Paul Blvd., and after an earthquake caused a sinkhole on their property, they turned it into a sunken garden.Everything they had hoped for is achieved but after the garden is completed it all changes. One day William enters the garden and never returns. Georgia is heartbroken, not able to understand where he has gone, and the pain of not knowing drives her insane.The house stood vacant for years until the Sanders purchased it. Barbara, a home decorator and Neil, an Architect are shown the property by their realtor, Warren Pendergast. They are enchanted by the location, the house, and the size of the lot. They put in an offer and soon the property is theirs.Once the Sanders settle in they discover the owners have left furniture and personal items so they begin clearing it out. That's when they come across old documents and a woman's diary. The paper is brittle, so they don't try to open them, but instead send them out to be restored.They realize this is only one of the surprises on their property when late one night an earthquake hits the area. The next morning they find trees uprooted and the ground covered with branches and limbs. Neil calls around and comes up with the name of Nathaniel Park who owns DirtWorx; a company that does excavating. He is willing to take on the job.It is Nathaniel who realizes that the west side of the property has been disturbed even before the earthquake. That is when the Sanders learn they have a sunken garden.