Charles Garland was a Harvard undergraduate student in 1922 when his father, a Massachusetts millionaire, died and left a very large sum of money to him.  He

With money he inherited, Charles Garland started the Garland Fund to support radical causes, and to fight capitalism

refused to accept his inheritance until he realized that, by doing so, he was drawing public attention to himself.  He took the money and created the charitable Garland Fund, also known as the American Fund for Public Service. 

            The foundation was established to support liberal and radical causes, and to fight capitalism.  By 1925, financial reports show the fund made over $1 million in the stock market.

            Some of the organizations prominently funded by Garland's group include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  Several other groups owe their establishment or existence to him.  Some authors write that Garland was a visionary and a man with unusual ideas of social science - others refer to him as eccentric and flighty.

            Our area's brush with the philanthropic Bostonian came in 1925 when he bought a 200-acre farm in Lower Milford Township, just over the Lehigh and Bucks county lines past Spinnerstown.  It was alleged that Charles and some of his friends wanted to start up a free love colony there.  Charles had reportedly established one of the promiscuous communities in Massachusetts, bringing the state unwanted national publicity.  At the time he was married to Mary Wren Garland who lived in the state, and romantically linked to soul

A group of adults and three children moved into the house on April Farm in 1925.  Soon after, they sought incorporation for their groups.  They announced their intentions were to perform experimental work in co- operative community life, child education, and the health and comfort of those living there.

mate Lillian Conrad of Philadelphia.

            The nearby colony was to be called April Farm.  About 70 of the acres were an orchard, and the rest was farmland.  It previously belonged to J. P. Hazlett.  About one month after he purchased it, Garland expanded his holdings by purchasing the adjoining 40-acre Dietz farm.

            A group of adults and three children moved into the house on April Farm in 1925.  Soon after, they sought incorporation for their group through the Lehigh County Courts.  The names on the petition included Bettina Hovey, Charles Garland, Polly Scott, Rous Benson, and Paul Scott.  They announced their intentions were to perform experimental work in cooperative community life, child education, and the health and comfort of those living there. 

            Presiding County Judges Reno and Iobst named Allentown attorney Robert Stuart to examine the request and to perform an investigation into the organization.

            Stuart's scathing report led to a denial of the request.  As part of his examination, Stuart attempted to interview all of the persons named on the petition. 

In 1925 Garland purchased 200-acre farm in Lower Milford Township and called it the April Farm.  According to some reports, Garland wanted to start up a free love colony there.

But he ran into a brick wall of uncooperative applicants.  As part of his report to the judges, he wrote that the evasive witnesses prevented him from "obtaining the fullest information."  

            In addition, he found Garland, Hovey, and Paul Scott unfit to perform work of this kind. 

            Stuart also testified that he felt "the evidence inferred that this farm may be a refuge for unfortunate women and that those of the group who appeared as witnesses believe in, and probably practice, what is known as free love."  Stuart also disapproved of the colonists plan to educate the children, which wouldn't start until they were 10 years old.  The investigation also turned up a mystery involving the death of a child.

            Reports indicate that a baby girl was born at April Farm in July of 1925.  The child died in October of the same year.  Garland went to a Coopersburg undertaker named Bachman to buy a casket.  Bachmen refused to sell the coffin until Garland produced a death certificate.  Bachman went to the Health Inspector of the Lehigh Community who requested the name of the cemetery where the baby was buried.  Garland reported that internment was at the Lower Milford Cemetery. 

            On the death certificate, Garland listed himself as the father and Hovey as the mother.  Hovey came to Pa. from Garland's April Farm in Mass.  Death was listed as suffocation due to throat trouble.

            What made the child's death even more troubling to Stuart is that he found no proof that the baby was buried in the Lower Milford Cemetery, and he found evidence that the child received no trained medical attention when ill. 

            When confronted, Garland changed his story and said that the child was buried in the Trinity Great Swamp Church cemetery at Spinnerstown and County Line Road. 

            Suspicions mounted against Garland as the Lehigh County district attorney was preparing an arrest document.  In an interview during this period, Garland admitted that the 13 adults living in the colony were not "matrimonial mated."  He also said it was "nobody's business."

            As the story of Garland and his impending arrest unfolded, the women of the colony fled.  At the time there were reports that two of the residents were former Russian countesses.  To that, Garland issued his standard answer to colony-related inquiries – "it's none of your business." 

            Charles was arrested on Jan. 11, 1926 at the April Farm.  He was charged with adultery and bastardy.  Lehigh County Sheriff Sensenbach and Detective Herbert Bachman arrested him without incident and transported him to Allentown, where he posted $2,000 bail.  He returned to the now women-less April Farm to await his trial.

            As his trial date drew closer, his Lower Milford compound became quite a tourist attraction.  Residents of the area reported that from 2-3 p.m. on Jan 17, nearly 1,300 cars had braved the snow-covered roads to pass by. 

            In addition to the Pennsylvania curious, automobiles with license plates were reportedly observed from New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, Delaware, and South Carolina, which told of the widespread interest in the case.

            Charles survived the scandal and was still active into the 1950s.  His name surfaces on several occasions in the era of McCarthyism.  But, that's another story.

            By the way, does Institutional zoning include regulations for love colonies, or would that be in High Density Residential?