Chapman Field (Miami)
| Chapman Field | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 25°38′30.05″N 80°17′42.45″W / 25.6416806°N 80.2951250°WCoordinates: 25°38′30.05″N 80°17′42.45″W / 25.6416806°N 80.2951250°W |
| Area | 197 acres |
| Opened | 1898 |
| Founder | David Fairchild |
| Owned by | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) |
| Collections | rubber, cacao, coffee, mango, palm, avocado |
| Website | Subtropical Horticulture Research Station |
Chapman Field (officially the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station) is a horticulture and agronomy research facility of the Agricultural Research Service, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), located in Miami, Florida. Dating from 1898, it is one of the oldest entities in South Florida. The USDA also refers to it as the Miami Station.
The introduction of economically useful plants into the US is a three-step process: (1) explorers find the plants in foreign countries; (2) the plants are sent back to a USDA introduction garden where they are evaluated; (3) successful plants are distributed to farmers and nurserymen. Chapman Field is the original introduction garden for tropical plants.
Over 20,000 plant introductions have been registered at the Miami station since its establishment. Emphasis has been on rubber, cacao, coffee, mango, palm, avocado, lychee, and other plants.
The Miami station was started as a plant introduction garden in what is now downtown Miami on six acres near Brickell Avenue in 1898. The six acres were provided to the USDA by Mary Brickell. There was an additional acre and $1000 provided by Henry Flagler. This was a temporary donation. The USDA did not take title to the land. The garden was begun by David Fairchild, the USDA's newly hired manager of the Section of Seed and Plant Introduction. It was the first Plant Introduction Garden of the United States Government. Herbert J. Webber was the first man in charge of the garden. It cost the government $3000 per year. Fairchild's next visit from Washington was in February 1912 when Ed Simmonds was the Superintendent in Charge. It was during this visit that Fairchild had his only meeting with Flagler.
In 1914 it was felt that the Brickell Avenue site was too small. After considering donations from various developers, the USDA accepted the donation of 25 acres from Charles Deering at his estate in Buena Vista. This was located seven miles to the north between NE 21st and 30th Streets on N. Miami Avenue. This land was then used in addition to the Brickell Avenue property. They were referred to as the big garden and the little garden. Fairchild was in town the day of the great freeze of February 3, 1917. The temperature recorded in the little garden was 26.5 F.
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