Berckmans/Fruitland Nursery records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: ARCHS-103

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Material contains correspondence, invoices, receipts, shipping labels, cancelled checks, catalogs and brochures generated or sent to Berckmans/Fruitland Nursery

Dates

Created: 1835-1947
Other: Majority of material found in 1904-1913
Other: Date acquired: 12/00/1983

Conditions Governing Access

no restrictions

Biographical or Historical Information

The material was transferred from the Augusta History Museum in 1983. Fruitland Nursery was founded in 1858 by the Belgian émigré Louis Berckmans and under his son Prosper J. A. Berckmans, Fruitland became one of the South’s most successful nurseries with a national clientele. Prosper Berckmans died in 1910, leaving the business to his sons. A large portion of the estate was sold and became the Augusta National Golf Club which opened in December of 1932. While no longer located on its original site, Fruitland Nurseries is still in business in Augusta, weathering succeeding decades under a variety of owners. A donation made by Julia Leisenring of Aiken, South Carolina in 2009 was applied to the rehousing of this collection.

Note written by