Joseph Breck (1794–1873), a businessman and horticulturist of the 19th century, was born in

Medfield, Massachusetts Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Downtown Bos ...

.Oak Square
Brighton Allston Historical Society. He moved to

Pepperell, Massachusetts Pepperell is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,604 at the 2020 census. It includes the village of East Pepperell. Pepperell is home to the Pepperell Center Historic District, a covered bridge, and ...

, in 1817, working in the chaise carriage manufacturing business while also exploring his passion for horticulture in his gardens.History of Middlesex County MA 1890
J.W. Lewis and Co. His interest in flowers and plants developed into a career as an editor, from 1822 to 1846, of the ''New England Farmer'', one of the earliest agricultural magazines established in the U.S., and the first of its kind in New England.New England Farmer and Horticultural Journal, 1822 - 1846
, ProQuest. Breck moved to

Lancaster, Massachusetts Lancaster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1653, Lancaster is the oldest town in Worcester County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population ...

, in 1832 to become superintendent of the Lancaster Horticultural Gardens.Joseph Breck
Digital Commonwealth. In 1833, Breck wrote a book called ''The Young Florist'', which is a dialogue between two young gardeners that presents information about flowers and natural history as it relates to flower cultivation.The Young Florist
Library of Congress Catalog Record. Breck moved to

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as " ...

, in 1836 and established a nursery while also expanding his business interests into a seed and agricultural implement store called Joseph Breck & Sons in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(many publicity materials and catalogs would claim 1822 as the founding date of Joseph Breck & Sons, while later ones claimed 1818).Nursery Sample Books
University of Delaware Library. In 1840, Breck published his company’s first catalog, the New England Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store Catalogue, to promote his company’s products.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries. The catalog included illustrations and horticultural literature to accompany product listings. In 1851, Breck published ''The Flower Garden'', a book about the cultivation of ornamental plants such as

perennials In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

, annuals,

shrubs A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

and

evergreen trees In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many different s ...

.The Flower-Garden; Or, Breck's Book Of Flowers by Joseph Breck
ChestOfBooks.com. One of the founding members of the

American Seed Trade Association Founded in 1883, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is one of the oldest trade organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of over 700 companies involved in seed production and distribution, plant breeding, and related indu ...

, Breck was the president of the

Massachusetts Horticultural Society The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to Mass Hort or MHS, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusettsbr>It describes itself as the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States ...

from 1859 to 1862. Breck moved to the Oak Square section of Brighton in 1854, where he built an extensive nursery. He lived there until his death in 1873. Breck served as a Massachusetts State Senator in 1863 as part of the 84th Massachusetts General Court.

Legacy

His company still exists today as Breck's. Breck Avenue in the Oak Square section of

, is named in his honor. The original Breck Homestead in Pepperell, Massachusetts is part of the Pepperell Center Historic District. Joseph Breck was the great-grandfather of Joseph Breck (curator), the first director of

The Cloisters The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art ...

who was instrumental in its garden designs.Horticultural Roots of Joseph Breck
The Metropolitan Museum.

References

External links

Retail Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breck, Joseph 1794 births 1873 deaths American gardeners Businesspeople from Massachusetts

Legacy

See also

References

External links