In 1905, Horace W. Field and George H. Sinclair became partners in Field and Sinclair, florists at Howland's Greenhouse at Oak and Appleton streets. Together, they grew and sold flowers from this one location.
The partnership lasted until October 1908, when Mr. Field decided to retire. So begins the almost half-century story of Sinclair, the florist.
George H. Sinclair was born in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire, England, on August 23, 1870. Due to health issues, doctors feared he would not live past 20 years. At the age of 6, with his mother's encouragement, he worked the family garden, developing a keen interest in flowers and plantings.
In 1887, he arrived in the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York, where he took a job in a florist shop. In 1893, he moved to Holyoke to take a position with E. H. Howland, a renowned florist and greenhouse owner. He continued to work for Mr. Howland for 9 years.
In 1902, he joined with Horace W. Field in forming a partnership to operate a florist shop in Northampton. Mr. Sinclair moved to Northampton at the time.
In 1905, Edward H. Howland died. Messrs. Field and Sinclair continued their partnership and purchased the greenhouse operation at Oak and Appleton Streets. As mentioned, this partnership ended in 1908, and Mr. Sinclair became the sole owner of the business.
Mr. Sinclair continued to refer to the Howland Greenhouses in his ads, long after acquiring ownership. He generously used advertising to showcase the season's flowers or for special holidays.
In 1911, he was selected as one of the Society of American Florists' vice presidents, the largest horticultural organization in the United States. In that year, the society held the largest horticulturalists' exhibition in the country's history. The Boston show offered upwards of $10,000 in prize money for winning exhibits.
Over the six years that he owned the Oak Street greenhouse, he had been walking through the Smith's Ferry area looking for a new location to establish a greenhouse and a residence. His thinking was that the in-city greenhouse would be too expensive to maintain, and the city might take the property deemed for a more worthwhile use.
As an aside, in June 1909, Holyoke purchased the Smith's Ferry area from Northampton.
In April 1911, George H. Sinclair purchased a 46-acre parcel along the Connecticut River, known as the Collins Farm. He hoped to build the valley's largest greenhouse, but this plan depended on Holyoke installing a water supply. The riverside soil was rich for agricultural work.
In 1912, Mr. Sinclair purchased an additional 12 acres of adjoining land, known as the Morton property, bringing his total to close to 60 acres. In 1913, he began building his home, hoping to move in by that fall. He would soon move forward to develop a plant nursery.
The Sinclair story continues both on Oak Street and in Smith's Ferry in the following chapter.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
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