The history of a wilting U.F. legacy

Just shy of what would be its centennial celebration year, Princeton Nurseries will close its doors.

The long-standing nursery planted its roots in the summer of 1913 as a branch of F&F Nurseries in Springfield. William Flemer Sr., the founder of F&F Nurseries, established the Princeton portion of the business because of its location near metropolitan areas, railroads and canals and for its rich sassafras loam soil, according to information provided by Princeton Nurseries.

William Flemer Sr.'s younger son, William Flemer Jr., then 18 years old, managed the new nursery, which consisted of three adjoining farms along Mapleton Road, south of Kingston.

In 1919 a boom in housing construction and park planting made the nursery business extremely profitable. Under Flemer Jr.'s management, the nursery expanded steadily to 1,500 acres. Flemer Jr. and his brother, Carl, operated the business, growing in Princeton and selling in Springfield. Flemer Sr. pioneered the production of shade trees, for which the rapid suburban expansion of New York City and Philadelphia created an ever-expanding demand.

When the Depression and a subsequent accidental importation of the Japanese Beetle into a Riverton nursery hit around 1929, nursery stock demand decreased, so in 1931 F&F Nurseries separated. Carl maintained F&F Nurseries, and Flemer Jr. took charge of Princeton Nurseries. Both firms survived the Depression and the war years by growing farm crops, cattle, fruits and vegetables and using German prisoners of war for labor.

Returning from Europe in 1945 after World War II, William Flemer III took over the nursery production, later joined by Dr. John W. Flemer, who assumed the business and financial direction of the company.

Half of the Princeton land was sold in 1960, and Flemer Jr. retired. The demand for nursery stock - particularly quality specimen shade trees, ornamental trees and conifers - continued to expand, and John and Bill Flemer III set out to find the ideal spot for nursery crops within a reasonable distance from Princeton. They found three adjoining farms in the Allentown area, all with access to Crosswicks Creek for irrigation water.

The original 450 acres of the Allentown branch were purchased in 1962, and the first plantings were set out. At the Allentown facility, production was expanded to include growing seedlings, grafting, field budding and the production of bare-root tree liners. Wholesale distribution centers were established at Kingston and Allentown to supply a growing demand for nursery stock, available for immediate pickup. At the same time, the production of nursery stock in containers expanded at the Allentown branch.

The Kingston part of the operation was gradually phased out in the late 1990s, and the entire operation has been located in the Allentown area ever since.

The breeding, selection and introduction of new and superior trees, shrubs and vines have long been of special importance at Princeton Nurseries. William Flemer Jr. selected and introduced the Princeton elm, the Euclid linden and the Sinclair ginkgo. Many others from the nursery, such as the Shademaster locust, October Glory red maple, Greenspire linden and Green Mountain sugar maple, have become standards by which other clones are judged. The nursery is also known for lifting the Green Vase Zelkova species to the rank of a premier shade tree.