National Register of Historic Places

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm

Lower Macungie township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Listed
May 11, 1999
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99000515

About this property

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm, also known as the Working Tree Center, is a historic home and farm located in Lynn Township, Pennsylvania. It is important in the history of organic gardening and farming in the 20th century. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The home on the experimental farm's property is a farmhouse which dates to roughly the year 1830. The farm was altered by J. I. Rodale (1898-1971) in order to improve the quality of life at his residence and further his work during 1940 to 1971. Also added by Rodale were a farm office and greenhouse (circa 1945), turkey/goose coop, tennis court, cabana and pool, pavilion, and clapboard and fieldstone bake house, as well as five garden sites: the cultivated gardens, the stone gardens, the Sir Albert Howard test plots, and the aerobic and anaerobic compost heaps. The farm is important in the history of organic gardening and farming in the 20th century. Other buildings and structures which pre-dated Rodale's 1940 purchase include: the Pennsylvania bank barn, implement shed, corn crib, and chicken coop.

Location

2056 Minesite Rd.
Lower Macungie township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
40.55521, -75.52142

Categories

AGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Kemmerer House
Industrial
1.2 mi
Wehr Covered Bridge
Industrial
1.3 mi
Bogert Covered Bridge
Industrial
1.3 mi
Dorneyville Crossroad Settlement
Industrial
1.7 mi
Knauss, Heinrich, House
Early Republic
2.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm listed on the National Register?

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm?

Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm?

The period of significance for Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm?

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