Page 60 - Jeffersonville Journal Visitors Guide

Bill has been carving for 76 years.
Story & Photos by Cindy Herbert
Ifirst met Elaine and Bill Korwan last June. I had heard about all of their Rhododendrons and finally made time to see them for myself.
The Road to
Rhododendrons
different areas, including Merrick, Long Island and Warwick, but always owned property in Jeffersonville.
With a warm welcome (Elaine’s smile is contagious!) they were very happy to give me a tour of the gardens. I learned more about plants and then, of course, wanted to start planting more in my own garden. Bill is also a very talented woodcarver which was no surprise after learning his German grandfather and great grandfather, both named Johannes Korwan, where headstone carvers at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. This cemetery is recognized as being one of the finest sculpted cemeteries and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
They purchased the property here 50 years ago. When their first child was born, they decided to build a house on the property. They came up on the weekends and camped while the house was being built. One night, while sleeping in the foundation of the future house, police cars with flashing lights and sirens came tearing down the long driveway. The police were hunting down burglars who, unbeknown to the Korwans, had been stashing stolen goods in a cave on their property. The cave went in 30 feet and they still can’t figure out how the burglars were able to get all the goods in because the police had a hard time getting them all back out.
Bill started carving at the age of six when his grandfather gave him his first pocket knife, which he still carries in his pocket today. The two most important things his grandfather told him were; always keep your blade sharp and never get blood on the wood! Bill can carve anything from life size bears to tiny ornaments. Many of his carvings have a German design to them. Bill traveled all the time while working for IBM. To pass the time he would carve while on planes and during hotel stays. When one of the hotels knew Bill would be staying, they would actually put an old sheet on the room floor so when Bill carved, he would not get any pieces of wood on the carpet.
In 1974 their house in Jeffersonville burned down. It would take them 13 more years to rebuild. In 1987 they decided to move to Jeffersonville fulltime and opened Korwan’s Garden Center where they sell trees, shrubs, including Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Holly, Pieris Japonica, as well as Bill’s wood carvings and crafts.
Elaine and Bill were born and raised in Brooklyn. Elaine’s job was raising their five children while Bill worked. They moved to many
The Calsup (long leaf) that blooms in June.
58 Jeffersonville Journal • 2016-2017