Groundsite Image Gallery
Barteldes Seed Store
Artist: Hughes, Langston
Height: 0.000"
Width: 0.000"
Barteldes Seed Store, 804 Massachusetts St. (1865)
The building with the “Sunflower” sign is 804 Massachusetts. Langston Hughes writes about a boyhood job: “In the springtime I used to collect maple seeds and sell them to the seed store” (Big Sea).
In this brick building, F. Barteldes, F.W. Barteldes and M. Wilhelmi conducted a mail-order seed business. The plaque reads:
One of the first sites rebuilt after Quantrill’s Raid in 1863. Interior destroyed by fire 1997. Restored 1997-98. Though modified several times, the Italianate store front retains many original features.The business began in 1860 and continued a hundred years. The company grew many seeds in nearby fields. The firm of about 35 employees had a branch in Denver. They sent out catalogues and sold seeds throughout the United States and Europe (Tucker). This was their retail outlet.