How many readers remember wearing and/or seeing ladies wearing corsages on Easter Sunday? This month’s photo is one taken at my family’s greenhouse business, but it seems appropriate to share something pertaining to Easter as we’re in the middle of Holy Week. The image was taken in 1943 and shows an employee of Bice’s Greenhouse, Becky (Richardson) Reger, picking sweet peas off of vines in Greenhouse #1.
Though Shinnston didn’t have any greenhouse establishments for most of the twentieth century, Enterprise was never without at least one in business. In addition to Bice’s, the Tetrick and Rockwell families also had greenhouse establishments. The Tetrick family sold theirs to a couple of men who ran the business as Haller and Traxler, but Tetrick’s later relocated at Midway.
The Sturm family had greenhouses at Viropa, where they also operated a flower shop and made many corsages as well.
Speaking for my family’s business, which is now in its centennial year, sweet peas made the simplest corsages during the earliest years of operation. Their multiple colors added much beauty to the lady wearing it and could match with most any dress she had on. The fragrance was also pleasant as most sweet peas have a sweet smell with a sort of fresh citrus scent.
For many years, the entire day before Easter was spent clipping both greenery and blooms from plants and flowers in the greenhouses and then taking the cuttings into the workroom to start making corsages. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, some customers would come the morning of Easter and pick their own sweet peas from the vines growing inside the greenhouses, wait while their corsage was being made, then head off to church services while wearing the freshest corsage possible.
By the 1950’s, most corsages were made with cymbidium orchids. Pink carnations later became popular as well. For much of the twentieth century, all of the greenery and flowers used to make the corsages were grown right inside the greenhouses.
As time passes, some traditions pass with them. Easter dresses are still bought and some ladies hats have made a comeback, but the long gloves and corsages seem to have passed away with time. Those traditions become memories, memories hopefully evoked from reading this month’s story behind the photo.
