William Hamilton was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and developed a love of gardens and plants. His life-long occupation and pleasure centered on the latest in architectural and landscape design coupled with an intense interest in botany. He reshaped the grounds of his estate, which ultimately included over 10,000 plants and trees, many imported from foreign lands and cultivated in his greenhouse. The first Ginkgo planted on American soil grew at The Woodlands. Woodlands Cemetery preserves 54 acres that lay at the heart of Hamilton’s former estate.