THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
3 21 
CONTINENTAL NURSERIES, 
FRANKLIN, MASS. 
3 H^HE Continental Nurseries although young as 
compared . with others in Massachusetts are 
IS? nevertheless promising in growth. The energy, 
ability and knowledge of their proprietor bid 
fair soon to place them among the foremost in 
New England and the country at large. 
These nurseries were founded in the spring of 1903 by 
the purchasing on the part of Messrs. A. Van Leeuwen, senior 
and junior, of the prop¬ 
erty known in Frank¬ 
lin as the“Deacon Thurs¬ 
ton Inn and Farm.” 
The purchasers were life¬ 
long nurserymen and 
landscape gardeners, 
having had extensive ex¬ 
perience both in America 
and Holland. 
The early history 
was one of ‘‘ups and 
downs” brought about 
by the disagreement of 
the owners as to policy. 
Naturally, the period 
was not one of advance¬ 
ment for the business. 
There was need of a 
settled and progressive policy as to expansion and advance¬ 
ment. The matter was amicably arranged by the dissolu¬ 
tion of the firm in the spring i 9°5 an< i sa ^ e the P ro P~ 
erty entire to Mr. M. J. Van Leeuwen, the present owner 
From that time the nurseries have experienced a health 
growth and have with rapid strides been developed to a point 
where the entire acreage is in a high state of cultivation. 
In anticipation of future growth a ten-acre plot has been 
recently added to the holdings. Such is a brief summary of 
the nurseries to date. 
The owner, Mr. Van Leeuwen was born in Holland in 
1869. He received a liberal education and early training 
and experience in floriculture and horticulture in general. 
Coming to the United States in the spring of 1888, he went 
to work with the intention of pursuing that line of work and 
eventually of establishing himself in business. 
After a number of years in the employment of a florist 
and nurseryman, as workman 
first and salesman afterwards, 
during which time he acquired 
ready use of the English lan¬ 
guage and a detailed knowledge 
of wholesale and retail conditions 
in this country, he embarked in 
the real estate business in Pas¬ 
saic, New Jersey. However, he 
made it a point always to keep 
in touch with the line of work in 
which he had been brought up 
and was interested. In 1904 he 
become financially interested in 
the Continental Nurseries and as 
stated before, purchased them 
entire in 1905. 
Under the able management of Mr. Van Leeuwen and 
with the co-operation received from the men employed by 
him, the forlorn hope which he purchased in 1905 has already 
gained an enviable name as propagators and growers of 
every kind of shrubbery, evergreens and hardy plants and 
the like. They are noted for their yearly importations 
of azaleas, rhododendrons and a select class of evergreens 
from Boskoop, Holland. 
By renovating the farm buildings and placing them in 
A. Vanderbrook, Superintendent 
