William Wright and Phebe Wierman Wright: Plainfield Nurseries and Farm of Latimore Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania

If you have information about this fruit nursery when it was run by William Wright and Phebe Wierman Wright in the mid-1800s, please contact me. Phebe was a sister of my 5th great-grandfather Nicholas "Hill" Wierman. William and Phebe Wright were also prominent participants in the underground railroad for over 40 years, starting in 1819. I will write about this in a later post. (Various sources, such as her gravestone, indicate that her name should be spelled Phebe, not Phoebe, as appears in some writings about her in the 1900s up to now.)

Plainfield included what is now the property of 514 Latimore Valley Road and possibly more. The remains of their brick house are among trees east of the newer buildings that are visible from the road. The most recent photos I have seen--shared online and I think taken in the 1990s--show the house crumbling, with much of one side gone. 

Prior to Plainfield, they lived at Woodburn, which was to the west near York Springs, but I know almost nothing about it. I think they were there between 1820 and 1840 and that it was also a nursery. In a piece published in the Gettysburg Times, June 9, 1952, page 6, Gettysburg College professor of history Robert Fortenbaugh places Woodburn "a little more than two miles northwest of York Springs." He goes on to say, "This place was improved by a red brick house which is still standing." I suppose he means it was built by the Wrights. However, I have seen a Facebook comment to a post on the Plainfield house ruins that claims the Woodburn house no longer exists and was located behind what is now an auto auction site at the intersection of US 15 and Bonners Hill Road. This is between 1.5 and two miles northeast of York Springs. I wonder if Prof. Fortenbaugh mistakenly wrote northwest instead of northeast because I think the Facebook commenter has good access to property search tools. I am particularly interested in finding a scanned copy of the catalog/catalouges that were mentioned in ads, such as these: 

From the Star and Republican Banner (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), August 7, 1846, page 3.

From the Gettysburg Compiler, March 19, 1849, page 3

Notice of sale of Plainfield after the death of William Wright, Adams Sentinel, November 7, 1865, page 2

A little bit of Plainfield's history is described on page 14 in this booklet posted by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: Adams County Fruit Belt, c. 1875-1960 http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/agriculture/files/context/adams_county_fruit_belt.pdf

Madison sidewalk chalk message in September 2019

One of the reasons that I often prefer to walk to get to some place is what I can see along the way. Another reason is that sometimes I get into a conversation with a stranger.

This is along the east side of Midvale Boulevard, a little south of Mineral Point Road. I take this route between my Madison apartment and the Sequoya Library.