Jacob C. Hoffman, Florist: The Greenhouses Opposite Fernwood
German-born florist Jacob C. Hoffman operated a substantial greenhouse business at Madison and Fagan streets. After his death, the property became Henderson Floral Company under manager Walter Shaw.
Jacob C. Hoffman operated greenhouses at Madison and Fagan streets, opposite Fernwood Cemetery. His billhead identified the business as “Jacob C. Hoffman, Florist” and advertised “Cut Flowers and Designs.” It listed Cumberland Phone 285-J, New Phone 188 and the corner of Madison and Fagan streets. An undated newspaper profile gave the address as 901–903 Madison Street.
Hoffman’s 1925 obituary reported that he was born in Germany and came to the United States in 1870. He first settled in a Pennsylvania place the newspaper spelled “Likens,” then moved to Henderson six years later, in 1876.
The Henderson Morning Gleaner of March 23, 1913, stated he had been in the floral business for 25 years. The newspaper profile described Hoffman’s greenhouses as modern and well stocked. It said he grew cut flowers, flowering plants, ferns and shrubs. He made funeral and wedding designs and supplied floral decorations for weddings, banquets, churches and other entertainments. Most of his cut flowers were sold locally, although he also shipped some orders to other cities.
National florist directories document the size of the operation. In both 1913 and 1918, the American Florist Company’s Directory listed “Hoffman, Jacob C., Madison st.-4.” The directory explained that the number represented approximate thousands of square feet of greenhouse glass. Hoffman’s listing therefore indicated about 4,000 square feet under glass.
The Henderson Twice-A-Week Gleaner reported on January 20, 1911, that Hoffman had married Ellen M. Shouley at her home the previous Thursday, January 19. The notice gave Hoffman’s age as 68 and Shouley’s as 59. It said she had operated a grocery for several years at Madison Street and Alvasia, just a block away from his greenhouse.
Hoffman’s later obituary identified two surviving children in Henderson: a daughter, Mrs. James Smith, and a son, Louis Hoffman. It also mentioned two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Jacob C. Hoffman died at 9:45 p.m. on October 27, 1925, after a short illness. The Henderson Morning Gleaner gave his age as 84. Funeral services were held at Holy Name Catholic Church, with Father B. J. Boland officiating, followed by burial in Fernwood Cemetery.
On December 30, 1928, the Henderson Morning Gleaner reported that the greenhouses built by the late Jacob Hoffman had recently been acquired by Henderson Floral Company. The new owners, who came from Lawrenceville, Illinois, remodeled the property and began a four-day opening on December 12.
The newspaper named Walter Shaw, described as a lifelong florist, as manager of the Henderson branch. The owners said they viewed Henderson as a distribution point for flowers and would enlarge the local plant if business justified it.
Shaw’s Flowers now states that it has served Henderson since 1928 and has remained under four generations of Shaw family ownership and management. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce identifies it as Henderson’s oldest family-owned florist.
Leave a Reply