Dr. David Hosack, a leading physician and professor, founded the Elgin Botanic Garden in 1801 with a grand vision. He purchased 20 acres of rural land from the City of New York, what is now midtown Manhattan, to create the first public botanical garden in the United States. By 1805, its greenhouses contained over 1,500 species of medicinal and exotic plants, some contributed by his friend Thomas Jefferson. The garden was a scientific treasure intended to train a new generation of American doctor