What Is It?
The Rose Society of Syracuse (SRS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, education, and celebration of roses. It is the oldest rose society in the United States and is affiliated with the American Rose Society, another non-profit dedicated to the rose but on a national scale. The Rose Society of Syracuse is the one responsible with maintaining Dr. E.M. Mills Rose Garden in Thornden Park, planning displays at the State Fair and events like Rose Day, and hosting volunteering sessions for the upkeep of Mills garden.
The Society Then
The society got its start in the mind of Dr Edmund Mead Mills, a prominent Methodist minister, scholar with a geology PhD, and avid rose-grower. His personal rose garden in Syracuse had over 400 plants of 192 varieties, many of them being bought from overseas like France and Ireland. Wanting to share his love for roses, on February 7, 1911, at the age of 63, Mills organized a meeting to establish the Syracuse Rose Society, with the goal to transform Syracuse into the “Rose City of the Empire State”. By May 1911, the city of Syracuse set aside 3 acres of land in Kirk Park for the society to make into a rose garden. Within four months, the club hosted its first “Annual Rose Show” on June 15-16, with the grand prize of 100 rose bushes. By 1915, the Kirk park garden was moved to Syracuse University, where it thrived. As time went on, the Society grew and planted more parks dedicated to roses, but Dr. Mills became seriously ill and went away from Syracuse. The society then began developing plans for a new rose garden for a new landscape tract called Thorden, due to Syracuse University no longer having space for its own rose gardens that they planted in 1914. They decided to name the garden in honor of their absent founder and president of 11 years, and when Dr. Mills came back on July 2, 1924, the garden was in full bloom for his dedication.
The Society Now
Since then, the society has been maintaining the rose gardens in its care, along with teaching the public on how to grow roses and celebrating roses and all things rose-related. The Syracuse Rose Society Bulletin is a newsletter containing rose growing information, history, tips and a calendar of events mailed to SRS members each month. For people who are interested but aren’t members, the SRS website has many articles, websites, and videos dedicated to roses. Volunteering opportunities are also available between 8 a.m. and noon on Wednesdays from April to November at the Mills Garden.
Works Cited
American Rose Society. “Home – American Rose Society.” American Rose Society, 17 Sept. 2024, https://rose.org/. Accessed 14 July 2026.
Haas, David. “Garden of Eden.” Syracusenewtimes.Com, Syracuse New Times, 14 June 2017, https://syracusenewtimes.com/garden-of-eden/. Accessed 15 July 2026.
Syracuse Rose Society. “Syracuse Rose Society.” Syracuserosesociety.Org, 2025, https://www.syracuserosesociety.org/. Accessed 14 July 2026.
