The Robison York State Herb Garden was once the playground of the Forest Home Elementary School, which closed in 1964, and later became the Lewis Building. The idea of an herb garden was championed by Cornell Botanic Gardens’ then-editor Audrey Harkness O’Connor, and director Richard M. Lewis, who sketched the original design on a napkin! In 1974, the herb garden was dedicated to Doris Burgess Robison, an accomplished gardener, as a gift from her husband, Ellis H. Robison ’18. A local group, the Auraca Herbarists, also provide support for this garden.