Seeds Galore! *ARCHIVED 6-3-18*
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This can be a quick PARK & Grab, IF you are STEALTHY, (which, in the spring and summer months, can be a BIG problem.)
You are searching for a magnetic key-holder, hidden in a very public place.
Permission was granted for this cache by Stephanie T, director of Park Seed (Thank you).
Every time we passed the sign for here on Hwy 25 we wanted to go see it. Today we did. We liked it so much I asked for permission to place a cache here. Permission was happily granted by Stephanie T.
Tell anyone anywhere in the U.S. that you’re from Greenwood, South Carolina, and there’s a good chance that the response will be, "Greenwood? Oh, yes! That’s the home of those seed folks—I love their catalogs!"
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A little HISTORY of the place:
.....For over 140 years American gardeners have depended on the local business here to deliver the seeds, bulbs, & plants. It was originally founded in Pennsylvania in 1868, when 15-year-old George Watt Park decided to sell seeds he had harvested from his backyard garden in Libonia, Pennsylvania. Young George bought a hand press and printed a list of the seeds that he wanted to sell. In addition to circulating this list to friends and neighbors, he also bought an advertisement in The Rural American for $3.50. The ad resulted in $6.50 in seed orders. With this success, he found his life's work.
.....His first small catalog was published in 1868. The book contained just 8 pages and used 2 illustrations—wood cuts of an aster and a pansy. In 1871, a monthly publication called The Floral Gazette was published. It offered readers a forum for sharing gardening experiences and a seed exchange column that encouraged readers to trade seeds, bulbs and plants. It also carried a significant amount of advertising, including ads from other purveyors of seed. By 1877, circulation had grown to 20,000. By 1918, that figure hit 800,000.
The growing number of catalogs brought in ever-increasing numbers of orders, and by 1900, it was clear that the business had outgrown the small post office at Libonia. The Company moved to La Park (now Paradise), Pennsylvania in 1902.
.....In 1918, George married Carol Mary Barratt, a young county home demonstration agent from SOUTH CAROLINA. She wrote him asking for some free seeds. He replied that he could not give away his seeds, but he could give free advice! Thus began a two-year correspondence that ended with his coming down to South Carolina, meeting, and marrying Mary Barratt. She moved to La Park and became both a partner in the business and the mother of two sons.
.....Eventually becoming fatigued with cold Pennsylvania winters, they moved to Dunedin, Florida, and produced a catalog there in 1923.
The couple tried running the business from Florida, but in the days before air conditioning, found that they really did not enjoy the heat and humidity, which proved to be highly unsuitable for storing seeds. Searching for a place with a more favorable climate, they returned to Mary’s hometown of GREENWOOD, South Carolina and moved there in 1924.
.....For the first 25 years in Greenwood, the company occupied a large old house. Then in 1950, it moved to a more modern storefront location and entered the era of environmental control for seed quality.
Eventually, the company obtained 500 acres on the northern edge of Greenwood. There it built a business complex to house the company’s offices, research facilities, seed storage and processing areas, temperature-controlled areas for storing plants and bulbs, computer facilities, mailorder department, and customer service facility, plus its catalog preparation area and a showroom and reception area. The core buildings of this campus were completed in 1961.
Unfortunately, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 2, 2010 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The location is, fortunately for us, still in operation, and in the srping and summer is alive with flowers.
The Festival of Flowers of Greenwood is held here mid-June each year.
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At the cache you can find all kinds of flowers, ornamentals, roses, fruits, vegetables, perennials, annuals, and SEEDS!
In season, you can tour the 9 acres of trial gardens.
DIRECTIONS FROM Hwy 25:
From Highway 25 near Greenwood you see a highway sign instructing you to turn left on Highway 254. Go about 3 miles on 254 and the cache location will be on your right.
Admission is Free.
Days and Hours of Operation : Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-4pm Closed Sunday and major holidays
(No tours on Saturday).
NOTE: IF THE GATE IS CLOSED WHEN YOU ARRIVE, YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO WALK AROUND IT TO THE CACHE LOCATION!
This cache IS handicap accessible.
If you wish, BE SURE TO RING THE OLD BELL NEXT TO THE CACHE LOCATION! It is at least 140 years old! This bell was at the original headquarters location of the business in Pennsylvania in the 1800's when it was first started.
HAPPY CACHING!
co-FTF HONORS GO TO...messiahofballin with JoeWillie!!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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