Date in History: 20th century
In 1902 two local nurseries in Fort Atkinson combined to form the Coe, Converse & Edwards Company. Their main office was located on Rockwell Street in the building that now houses Dunsmoor Doors. The huge nursery had well over 220 acres and would continue to grow. They would eventually employ 40 salesmen who covered the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.
When the three partners died the business was reduced in size and taken over by Edwards’ son Merle. Merle Edwards was a well-known, interesting character around town. He took an active interest in his plantings and would come to your house at all hours of the day and night to see how his trees or shrubs were doing. When he passed away in 1960, the Coe, Converse and Edwards’s nursery come to an end.
This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 08/23/2004.