Tyler in Smith County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Smith County Rose Industry and the Tyler Rose Garden
Photographed By Randal B. Gilbert, December 26, 2015
1. Smith County Rose Industry Marker
Business expanded in the 1920s as more nurserymen began growing roses. Production was increased by new growing methods such as irrigation, introduced in 1924 by A.F. Watkins. The Texas Rose Festival was started in Oct. 1933 to publicize the industry. Scientific plant research, begun in the 1930s by J.C. Ratsek, Dr. E.W. Lyle, and others from the Tyler substation of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, was implemented by organization of the Texas Rose Foundation, Inc., in 1945.
The Tyler Rose Garden, a 22-acre municipal park, was created in 1952. Nurseries donate the many varieties of plants, which are cared for by the city.
Today the rose industry is vital to the economy of Smith County. In 1973 the value of bushes and flowers shipped around the world by local nurseries totaled $9,000,000. One-half of the rose bushes produced each year in the United States come from the Tyler area.
Erected 1975 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7758.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce.
Location. 32° 20.7′ N, 95° 19.35′ W. Marker is in Tyler, Texas, in Smith County. Marker is on Rose Park Drive, 0.1 miles south of West Front Street (Texas Highway 31), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 420 Rose Park Drive, Tyler TX 75702, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. History of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Butler College (approx. 0.3 miles away); Whitaker-McClendon House (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Patterson Home (approx. 0.9 miles away); Richard Bennett Hubbard (approx. one mile away); Oakwood Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Judge Stockton P. Donley (approx. one mile away); Chilton-Lipstate-Taylor House (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tyler.
Also see . . . Tyler Rose Garden and Museum. The Tyler Rose Garden can be quite spectacular when the roses are in bloom. The Tyler Rose Museum tells the history of the Rose Industry. (Submitted on January 2, 2016, by Randal B. Gilbert of Tyler, Texas.)
Photographed By Randal B. Gilbert, December 26, 2015
2. The Tyler Rose Garden Center and Rose Museum
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2016, by Randal B. Gilbert of Tyler, Texas. This page has been viewed 464 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2016, by Randal B. Gilbert of Tyler, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
