Nursery in Victoria County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Gilbert Onderdonk and Nursery, Texas
Photographed By James Hulse, February 21, 2022
1. Gilbert Onderdonk and Nursery, Texas Marker
Inscription.
Gilbert Onderdonk and Nursery, Texas. . Pioneer horticulturist Gilbert Onderdonk (1829-1920) exhibited early talent in his native New York, developing new varieties of potatoes that earned him recognition when he was still a teenager. After graduating from the New York State Normal School in 1849, he sought a warmer climate due to health concerns and moved to Texas, arriving at the Port of Indianola in 1851. He was employed as a teacher and ranch worker at Green Lake in Calhoun County. His health improved and he soon met Martha Jane Benham. They married in 1855 and moved to Mission Valley in Victoria County, where Onderdonk established his first Nursery east of Coleto Creek. After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, Onderdonk returned to his family and his nursery business. A new railroad line connected Victoria and Cuero in the 1870s, and in 1883 Martha Onderdonk purchased 100 acres nearby for a branch of the Onderdonk Nursery. A post office named Nursery soon opened, and Gilbert Onderdonk served as both postmaster and Wells Fargo shipping agent, a position he used to advantage in his mail order nursery business. The small town of Nursery grew up around the railroad, post office and nursery operations, and a new bridge built over the Guadalupe River in 1895 helped bring more settlers to the area. The Onderdonk family donated land for a Methodist Church in 1901. , Gilbert Onderdonk was highly successful in developing new varieties of peach and other fruit trees, earning many accolades and a national reputation. He died in July 1920 at age 90 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria.
Pioneer horticulturist Gilbert Onderdonk (1829-1920) exhibited early talent in his native New York, developing new varieties of potatoes that earned him recognition when he was still a teenager. After graduating from the New York State Normal School in 1849, he sought a warmer climate due to health concerns and moved to Texas, arriving at the Port of Indianola in 1851. He was employed as a teacher and ranch worker at Green Lake in Calhoun County. His health improved and he soon met Martha Jane Benham. They married in 1855 and moved to Mission Valley in Victoria County, where Onderdonk established his first Nursery east of Coleto Creek.
After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, Onderdonk returned to his family and his nursery business. A new railroad line connected Victoria and Cuero in the 1870s, and in 1883 Martha Onderdonk purchased 100 acres nearby for a branch of the Onderdonk Nursery. A post office named Nursery soon opened, and Gilbert Onderdonk served as both postmaster and Wells Fargo shipping agent, a position he used to advantage in his mail order nursery business. The small town of Nursery grew up around the railroad, post office and nursery operations, and a new bridge built over the Guadalupe River in 1895 helped bring more settlers to the area. The Onderdonk family donated land for a Methodist Church
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in 1901.
Gilbert Onderdonk was highly successful in developing new varieties of peach and other fruit trees, earning many accolades and a national reputation. He died in July 1920 at age 90 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria.
Erected 2007 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 13954.)
Location. 28° 55.302′ N, 97° 5.748′ W. Marker is in Nursery, Texas, in Victoria County. Marker is on Nursery Drive, 0.2 miles north of Kohutek Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located at the front of the Nursery I.S.D. School. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13254 Nursery Drive, Nursery TX 77976, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Onderdonk's reputation as a fruit grower increased as he collected and raised specimens of fruits and flowers and furnished the area between the Rio Grande and New Orleans with acclimated fruit trees and shrubs. He published his first nursery catalog in 1872, and in 1883 he established a branch of his nursery on the San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad about ten miles northwest of Victoria. Source: The Handbook of Texas
(Submitted on February 25, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, February 21, 2022
3. The view of the Gilbert Onderdonk and Nursery, Texas Marker from the street
Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on February 25, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
