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At the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago W. W. Kitchen won a medal for his unfermented grape juice. The farm property was also the site of a canning factory, said to be the first in Canada. It was in the drive shed on the west side of the Kitchen home and the Moore brothers were the first to use the facilities to can produce. William Kitchen died in 1909.

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THE WOOLVERTON FAMILY

In 1800 Jonathan Woolverton purchased Lot 16, Concessions I and II from John Smith. The land was originally cleared in 1780 and it was said that some fruit trees were planted almost immediately. The farm was passed on to Jonathan's son Dennis Woolverton who married Catherine Nixon.

30

DENNIS WOOLVERTON

Dennis Woolverton continued to farm the property and it is said that as early as 1820 he was selling peaches at the Hamilton market.

31

Dennis Woolverton
19th Century, Circa 1850
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

32

CHARLES E. WOOLVERTON

Charles E. Woolverton, the son of Dennis and Catherine Woolverton was born on August 24, 1820. Like his father Charles was very interested in agriculture and continued the family tradition of farming. Charles Edward Woolverton died on September 16, 1900.

33

Charles Edward Woolverton
19th Century, Circa 1890
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

34

C. E. Woolverton and Son Fruit Farm
19th Century, Circa 1876
Main Street West, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

35

LINUS WOOLVERTON

Linus Woolverton also built his home on the Woolverton property and named it Maplehurst. His section of the farm was known by the name of the home and became one of the most well-known fruit farms in the province.

Maplehurst Farm was the site of one of the first experimental stations for fruit farming in the region. While experimenting, the farm tested about one thousand varieties of fruits for the private study of Linus Woolverton and under the direction of the Department of Agriculture of Ontario. The farm was also very productive. For example, in 1901 it produced 2000-3000 barrels of apples, 2000 baskets of pears, 1000 baskets of cherries and plums, 2000 baskets of peaches and 10 tons of grapes and other berries.

36

Linus Woolverton
19th Century, Circa 1870
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

37

Maplehurst
20th Century, Circa 1901
Main Street West, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

38

Cherry Packing on Linus Woolverton's Farm
20th Century, Circa 1901
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

39

Linus Woolverton was an expert farmer and this expertise led him to author the book "The Apple Grower's Guide" which was published in 1910. He served as Secretary of both the Fruit Growers Association and the Ontario Fruit Experimentation Station. He was also Editor of the "Canadian Horticulturalist". Throughout the years Linus was a successful fruit farmer and his fruits won many awards at competitions. He shared his knowledge with other farmers and was very involved in every aspect of farming. Linus Woolverton died in 1914.

40

The Canadian Apple Growers Guide Written By Linus Woolverton
1910
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Grimsby Museum Collection

41

EDGAR J. WOOLVERTON

Edgar Judson Woolverton was the second son of Dr. Jonathan Woolverton and the grandson of Dennis Woolverton. E. J. Woolverton was one of the pioneers in the fruit industry and his farm was known as E. J. Woolverton and Sons. In addition to his own orchards, he focused on marketing Niagara fruit and was president of the Niagara District Fruit Growers Stock company which was the main marketing vehicle for fruit from the district.

On December 31, 1868 E. J. Woolverton married Ann Cecilia Nixon and built his home, Echo Hall, located at 366 Main Street West. They had three sons, Theoron N., Harold and W. B. (Fred) and one daughter, Florence (Mrs. Hamilton Fleming). E. J. Woolverton died on July 10, 1925.