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Faribault in Rice County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888

 
 
Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Marker (<i>left panel</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 3, 2022
1. Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Marker (left panel)
In the 1920's, seed orders were filled for farmers planting gardens, fields, and orchards.
Inscription.
Due to many inquiries, Farmer Seed & Nursery selected Faribault to grow and distribute northern grown seeds. In 1903, an annual catalog was printed to encourage mail order sales. In 1909, a national ad campaign put the company on the map, and it's still flourishing after nearly 130 years in business.

A Link to the Past
In addition to the Adam Weyer Wagon Shop downtown, Farmer Seed is the only factory or industrial building in the city on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the city's most visible surviving link to its long history as an agricultural processing and distribution center.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AgricultureIndustry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.
 
Location. 44° 17.615′ N, 93° 16.112′ W. Marker is in Faribault, Minnesota, in Rice County. Marker is at the intersection of Central Avenue North and 3rd Street Northwest, on the left when traveling north on Central Avenue North. Marker is mounted on a bench at the southwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 230 Central Avenue North, Faribault MN 55021, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Faribault W.P.A. Projects (within shouting distance of this marker); Brand Nursery of Faribault (within shouting
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distance of this marker); Buckham Memorial Library (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Faribault's Talented Artisans (about 400 feet away); Government in Faribault (about 400 feet away); Faribault: Home of the Tilt-A-Whirl (about 400 feet away); Bishop Whipple & St. Mary's School for Girls (about 400 feet away); Tilt-A-Whirl (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Faribault.
 
Regarding Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888. National Register of Historic Place #82003013.
From the National Register nomination:
The large warehouse was constructed in phases between the early 1890s and 1920s. The building is of stone and wood frame construction and is a sprawling, multi-leveled structure ranging from three to five stories in height. The main section measures 65 by 155 and is three stories with a one-story base of rock-faced Faribault stone. The stone portion dates to the early 1890s and was occupied by the Faribault Thresher Company before it was purchased by Farmer Seed in 1899. The business continued to prosper, and additional seed farms
Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Marker (<i>right panel</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 3, 2022
2. Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Marker (right panel)
In 1913, a fleet of salesmen in Model T Fords kept seed racks filled in area stores.
were purchased in Rice and Blue Earth Counties; a nursery department was added in 1909 and the present name assumed. Farmer Seed and Nursery's national market peaked in the late 1930s.

 
Also see . . .  After 130 years, Farmer Seed and Nursery Co. to close.
Excerpt from Suzanne Rook [email protected] 7/13/2018:
Farmer Seed and Nursery Co., a Faribault staple for 130 years and one of the most visible signs of the city’s former standing as an agricultural distribution center, will close its retail shop sometime next month. The company first became known for seeds sold to farmers, but by the early 1900s, it was selling seed for residential vegetable and flower gardens. Bedding plants, shrubs and trees were added in the 1920s. Farmer Seed Co. was founded in Chicago in 1888 by William L. Kueker and his brother-in-law Otto Kozlowski. It was then that the southern part of Minnesota was being settled by thrifty German-American farmers. The state had become known for its agricultural activity. In 1893, the men moved their business to a small two-story building on Faribault’s West Fourth Street.
(Submitted on December 12, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
Marker detail: Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 image. Click for full size.
3. Marker detail: Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888
Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Bench image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 3, 2022
4. Farmer Seed & Nursery 1888 Bench
(looking west along 3rd Street Northwest from Central Avenue North)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 12, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Mar. 28, 2024