Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Corbett Hutchinson (March 26, 1928)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Corbett Hutchinson (March 26, 1928)
Alternative Title
Chase Correspondence (March 26, 1928)
Subject
Windermere (Fla.)
Chase, Joshua Coffin, 1858-1948
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
Citrus fruit industry--Florida
Citrus--Florida
Orange industry--Florida
Oranges--Florida
Labor--Florida
Packing industry
Fruit--Packing
Description
An original letter of correspondence between Joshua Coffin Chase and Isleworth packinghouse superintendent Corbett Hutchinson. Topics discussed in the letter include the inadequate wrapping done by some of the fruit packers at Isleworth Grove and instructions to better improve packing.
Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Creator
Chase, Joshua Coffin
Source
Original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Corbett Hutchinson, March 26, 1928: box 49, folder 20.91, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Date Created
1928-03-26
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Corbett Hutchinson, March 26, 1928.
Is Part Of
Chase Collection (MS 14), box 49, folder 20.91, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Isleworth Collection, Citrus Collection, Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Referenced By
Folder referenced in Chase Collection finding guide, http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
116 KB
Medium
1-page typewritten letter
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Isleworth Grove, Windermere, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Entire Chase Collection is comprised of four separate accessions from various donors, including Cecilia Johnson, the granddaughter of Joshua Coffin Chase, and the children of Randall Chase.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida to display this item for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida
Digital Collections (UFDC), University of Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Warner, S.C. "Development of Marketing Citrus Fruits in Florida." Florida State Horticultural Society vol. 36 (1923): 198-200.
Hopkins, James T. Fifty Years of Citrus, the Florida Citrus Exchange: 1909-1959. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press: 1960.
Joshua Coffin Chase "Joshua Coffin Chase (1858-1948)." Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Copyright 2012. http://floridacitrushalloffame.com/index.php/inductees/inductee-name/?ref_cID=89&bID=0&dd_asId=960.
Transcript
March 16, 1928.
Mr. C. Hutchinson,
c/o Isleworth Groves,
Windermere, Florida.
Dear Sir:
WRAPPING: The writer could not help but notice that some of the packers were not wrapping the fruit the way they should, and he also thought that some of the packers were not using enough strength in putting the oranges snugly and firmly in each tier.
We are selling most of our output at auction and we must have an attractive pack in order to secure the highest prices paid.
We want you to keep behind the nailer-up and see to it that he brings the center strap down more snuggly over the fruit to avoid having the boxes reach destination with the appearance of being slack pack.
Keep right behind your graders and see that the grade is kept right up to the mark.
Yours very truly,
JCC-g
Mr. C. Hutchinson,
c/o Isleworth Groves,
Windermere, Florida.
Dear Sir:
WRAPPING: The writer could not help but notice that some of the packers were not wrapping the fruit the way they should, and he also thought that some of the packers were not using enough strength in putting the oranges snugly and firmly in each tier.
We are selling most of our output at auction and we must have an attractive pack in order to secure the highest prices paid.
We want you to keep behind the nailer-up and see to it that he brings the center strap down more snuggly over the fruit to avoid having the boxes reach destination with the appearance of being slack pack.
Keep right behind your graders and see that the grade is kept right up to the mark.
Yours very truly,
JCC-g
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1-page typewritten letter
Collection
Citation
Chase, Joshua Coffin, “Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Corbett Hutchinson (March 26, 1928),” RICHES, accessed April 19, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/2775.