Born in Monson on January 28, 1852, to Albert and Orpha Bishop Bliss, young Ethelbert joined his father in farm work following the family's move to Wilbraham in 1870 from Monson Massachusetts. In 1873 the 21-year-old Ethelbert married Abbie Cross, and by April of 1875, the couple had their first child, Walter Marshall Bliss. Their second child, August 1877, Hattie Estella Bliss, and third child, March 1882, Dora A. Bliss. The farm to which the Bliss moved had two homes located on the property. The oldest home was located on the east side of the road, 1004 Main Street, and was built in 1761 by Thomas Mirick and his son Timothy. Ethelbert and his family lived in this house while his parents lived in the newer house across the road,1003 Main Street. This newer house was built in 1852 by Porter Cross on the site of Thomas Mirick's house. This home still stands today. At that time the farm was small and engaged in general agriculture, including the raising of dairy cows. As a side note, this Bliss family had no immediate relationship to the Abel Bliss family, which was one of the original families in this area known as Springfield Mountain.
This farm was located on Main Street near the Wilbraham / Hampden town line. This place was popularly known as Mapleside Farm in the day, and also as the birthplace of Wilbraham peaches. This same farmland was made famous many years before by the Timothy Merrick rattlesnake tragedy which took place in 1761. This land was the original farm of Lieutenant Thomas and Mary Merrick, parents of Timothy, who came from the settlement of Springfield and settled here in the Outward Commons or Springfield Mountain.
As an experiment, it was in the year 1876 that Albert Bliss and his son, Ethelbert, set out 100 peach trees on their farm which they purchased in 1870. This will forever change the mission of Mapleside Farm and set the stage for Wilbraham's new visibility as the peach center of the Connecticut River Valley.
In the fourth year after the plantings, the Bliss' had one good crop of fruit. The land around was seeded with grass, afterward which, was an excellent crop of grass, but the peach trees soon died afterward.
Around the year 1882, Bliss's neighbor, William Sessions, half a mile south in Hampden, planted two hundred or more peach trees on his farm. Approximately four years later he too had a profitable crop of peaches. He then did the same with seeding with grass and the trees soon died as well.
Meanwhile, Ethelbert Bliss did not give up on his dream of growing peaches. He studied and attended lectures on the culture of peaches and then in the spring of 1894, he planted 1,400 new peach trees, mostly of the Crosby variety. In the fall of 1897, he collected over 1,000 baskets of high-quality peaches, and in 1898, 2,500 baskets, and the following year 4,500 baskets. He continued to set out trees including some Elbertas and Mount Rose varieties. He soon had about twenty-five acres of peach orchards. Mapleside Farm was featured in the October 1899 edition of the "Homestead," the total number of peach trees grown by Bliss numbered 5,000, making him a regional leader in production. Ethelbert Bliss inherited the farm from his father about 1895.
His success was attributed to the running of a machine all summer long which spaded around the roots where it was impossible to run a cultivator due to difficult soil conditions. He no longer sowed grass seed in his peach orchards.
From this point, the commercial peach industry in Wilbraham was born. Without saying, this industry was very problematic. The peach tree has animal and insect enemies and the fruit buds are too tender to withstand the occasional late spring heavy frosts that follow warm weather.
Ethelbert was very eager to share his expertise with other farmers in peach growing in hopes of advancing new developments. Ethelbert Bliss was said to have built his "reputation on peaches and milk" while experimenting with new ways to develop the "perfect peach."
By 1899 milk was considered another product produced at the farm. A herd of 25 cows and heifers headed by a registered Holstein bull. Mr. Bliss monitored his cattle constantly, measuring their milk production. All fodder was grown at the farm since its owner firmly believed in the "value of ensilage for dairy cattle" which rewarded him with over 10,000 pounds of good milk in a single year.
Ethelbert Bliss was one of the early local farmers to employ scientific new ways in both the dairy and peach industries. His lifelong dedication to peach culture resulted in the development of the first strain of peaches able to withstand extremely cold New England winters. Named after Mr. Bliss, their developer, these sturdy fruits were called "Ethelbert Peaches" which have given way to still newer and better types of peaches. By the early 20th century Wilbraham was known as the best place for peaches.
Not long after 1900, Charles C. Beebe, Clarence P. Bolles, and Jesse L. Rice set peach orchards at higher elevations than the current ones of Ethelbert Bliss. The results were considerably more favorable. By 1911, other farmers such as D. H. Eaton, John J. Lyons, M. C. Wade, W. H. McGuire, James Powers, and Lee W. Rice all set out to have peach orchards as part of their farming work. Later on, others such as Herbert Merrick joined the group in growing peaches. 1911 was a profitable year for Wilbraham peaches, thirty to forty thousand baskets were sold.
Later on, Lee Rice was the largest producer in town and the quantity of his peaches on the market continued the reputation of Wilbraham in having the best peaches that were ever sent to market. It was noted that Wilbraham peaches had the "best color and finest flavor".
Back in the early days of horse-drawn wagons, the marketing of peaches was time-consuming work. Some of the farmers would hitch up the horses to specially built wagons loaded with peaches. They would set out to the Springfield commission markets and leave Wilbraham at two or three o'clock in the morning. Some of these wagons were drawn by four-horse teams and by the time they hit the outskirts of Springfield, there would be a line of 10 to 12 wagons each negotiating to get first in line.
Ethelbert Bliss lived a long and satisfying life at Mapleside Farm, the home of his father which he made his own. He saw his son Walter Marshall Bliss go into farming at his side and his married daughters and their families live nearby. In 1950 he was recognized as the town's oldest living citizen and when Ethelbert Bliss died the following year he was 99 years old. He deserves remembering as the man who gave Wilbraham its fame as a peach center.
The only farm in Wilbraham today that grows peaches is the Green Acres Fruit Farm, located at 868 Main Street.
The birth of the Wilbraham Peach Festival started as a vision of John C. Sevey, a Wilbraham resident who was known for his enthusiasm and pride for his community. His inspiration occurred on a business trip to Georgia in which he saw a peach festival being held. He wanted to have a tribute to the history of peaches in Wilbraham but more importantly to celebrate people and community pride.
Along with volunteers Frank Ball, Jack Dizer, Helene Pickett, and Vic Weidman, John Sevey saw his dream come to fruition with the first Peach Festival being held at Minnechaug Regional High School grounds on Saturday, August 31, Labor Day weekend, 1985. This first festival was a great success and it ran for at least 25 years. A few years afterward, a scaled-down version of the famous Peach Festival, called the Peach Blossom Festival was established.
In collaboration with the Wilbraham Candle Company, Wilbraham Peach, part of the Historical Collection, will be launched and you can purchase it through their website,
It's BACK AGAIN, Wilbraham Peach Blossom Festival! https://peachblossomfestival.org/
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