Linn County Nursery
Abraham Snyder and his oldest son, Simon, founded the Linn County Nursery on the family farm two miles south of Center Point. Although the official date of the nursery’s beginning was 1892, Abraham started raising nursery stock immediately after returning from the Civil War in 1865. Abraham planted a vineyard that included several varieties and an orchard that had just come into bearing when it was wiped out by one of the hard winters of the early 1880’s.
Ad that appeared in the 1907 Atlas of Linn County, Iowa
Abraham, born in 1836, came to Linn County in 1855 and married Mary Chamberlain in 1859; they raised a family of seven children on the 200-acre farm. Mary was born in Otter Creek Township in 1841, one of the first children to be born to white settlers in Linn County, and probably the first in that township.
A retail price list, from the spring of 1898, lists A. Snyder and Son as proprietors. The four-page brochure emphasizes that varieties are suited to the climate. Forty-seven varieties of apple trees were offered for 25¢. Stock also included crab trees, plum trees, cherry trees, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, evergreens, roses, shrubs, vines and flowers. They began business with native trees and fruits. They worked very hard at developing trees that were hardy in the winters. Gradually they experimented with these native varieties and added oriental shrubs and flowers. They became well known for their different varieties of nut trees. They were responsible for preserving several varieties of nut trees from extinction. For example, in the 1940s they were the only nursery in the United States that had a particular variety of nut tree.
Abraham died in 1901 and Simon continued to operate the nursery while his youngest brother, Davis, studied horticulture at Iowa State Ad that appeared in the 1907 Atlas of Linn County, Iowa Kubias shop standing today at 321 State Street used as a dwelling. Albert Kubias Harness Shop in 1895. G.A.R. Hall (Union Hall) seen at left. l-r: Albert Kubias and John Burns. College. Simon regarded the honeybee as “a necessary adjunct to successful fruit growing,” and in 1903 his apiary of 110 colonies produced a little over five tons of honey. When Davis graduated in 1907, he joined Simon in the family business and is pictured in the Snyder Brothers Company advertisement in the 1907 Atlas of Linn County, Iowa, with the caption, “Specialist in Plant Diseases and Entomology.” Both Simon and Davis liked to display fruits and nuts and brought home many ribbons and trophies from fairs and expositions. In later years they were active in the Northern Nut Growers Association, always searching for varieties that would be hardy in colder climates. Davis believed that every farm youngster should have some good nut to harvest and crack.
In 1908 the nursery was moved to a fifty-acre tract adjoining Center Point on the east at the corner of Franklin and Iowa Streets. Today, in 2004, that location is Windmill Landscape and Garden Center. The Snyder brothers viewed their new location as advantageous because of its proximity to the railroad. They shipped all over the Midwest, even to China and to brother, Arthur, who lived in Australia. Several buildings were erected. Today the tile building used as a packing shed with an office in one end is still partially standing. On the property was also a house and garage.
Simon died in 1932 and Davis continued to operate the nursery, with his sister, Minnie, as part of the Snyder Brothers Corporation. Since only two of their siblings had married and were living out of state, there were no immediate family members ready to take over the family business. After World War II a young man who shared Davis’s interest in nut trees, Albert Ferguson from Dunbar, Nebraska, came to work at the nursery. When Davis was ready to retire around 1947, Albert and his brother, Roy, leased the nursery and eventually purchased it from the Snyders. Davis continued his interest in the business and Albert and Roy were almost like the sons he never had. Albert lived in a house on the nursery property.
Landscaping became an important part of their business. Davis was proud of the landscaping he completed when the new Collins Radio was built. “Six months later,” he said, “they expanded the building and tore all the landscaping out.” During the years that the Snyders operated the nursery, it provided seasonal employment for many residents of Center Point. During the 1960’s many individuals could mention having worked at the nursery while in school or for a season or two. It was not unusual to hear the farm referred to as “the nursery farm.”
Linn County Nursery buildings on Iowa Street in 1908. Tile building was used as a packing shed. It was mostly destroyed by the 1961 tornado.
The tornado that hit Center Point in spring of 1961 took the roof off the tile building and severely damaged other buildings as well as many of the nut trees Davis had spent years propagating. The office and greenhouses were rebuilt near the highway, with apartments for the family above the office and showroom. When the Fergusons were ready to retire, the property was bought and sold several times with its present owners, DeWayne and Gloria Janey, operating the business as Windmill Landscape & Garden Center. Today Linn County Nursery buildings on Iowa Street in 1908. Tile building was used as a packing shed. It was mostly destroyed by the 1961 tornado. Jeff and Cindy Squires and their sons live on the Snyder homestead and the “nursery farm” at 4250 N. Center Point Rd.