THIS PHOTO MONTAGE APPEARED IN THE SPRING 1978 EDITION OF THE PRINCETON RECOLLECTOR, A JOURNAL OF LOCAL HISTORY THAT WAS PUBLISHED BY THE PRINCETON HISTORY PROJECT FROM 1975 THROUGH 1986. Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton

Rose Collection Offers Early Views of Princeton Nurseries

William Flemer Jr.

Well-maintained rows of hearty evergreens attest to the quality and variety of the nursery business developed by the Flemers by 1924, when this shot was taken.  
Lath houses like this one were developed by Flemer to protect certain kinds of trees and other plants from too much sun. Today's lath houses, built of aluminum, maintian a cooler temperature in Summer.
William Flemer, Jr. and an unindentified nursery employee posed for photographer Royal Rose with a specimen tree.
Flemer and Flora
By 1924, when Rose photographed the Princeton Nurseries, the firm's specialized facilities had already expanded to make possible the nurturing and processing of thousands of trees and other plants.
For at least a half century the dignified black trucks with the red Princeton Nurseries insignia have traveled local roads.
The care given plants in the early stages of growth is evidenced by the frames shown in the foreground.


All photographs courtesy of the Rose Collection, Princeton University Library