"The second of Pana’s “big 2” in-
dustries has been hitherto un-
mentioned. Vital to the basic
economy of the city is the floral
industry which originated in Pana
between the years 1875 and 1880.
A Mr. Cooper is credited with the
first dabblings in greenhouse
horticulture in Pana. Cooper
grew vegetables the year around,
in his glass house, selling them to
local market. In later years,
Frank Shaffer bought Cooper’s
house, enlarged it and grew both
vegetables and flowers. The
floral industry has grown until at
present it is a leader of Pana in-
dustry, ranking with mining and
agriculture. Pana’s title. City of
Roses, was given to the city by the
■Jordan brothers, editors and pub-
lishers of Pana’s newspaper in the
early 1900’s, at a time when they
foresaw the future value of the
floral industry. There now exist
in Pana 6 major floial companies.
…[later, a longer version of the above…]
The floral industry in Pana is an
offspring of a vegetable growing
maiket inaugurated in 1870 by a
Mr. Cooper who, operating in a
small glass enclosed structure,
grew vegetables throughout the
year, selling his products on local
markets.
Seme years later Cooper sold his
glass house to Frank Shaffer.
Shaffer expanded from vegetable
growing to the cultivation of flow-
R. O. Henderson bought Shaffer’s
business in 1908 and grew only
flowers, selling at retail. The
wholesale production of flowers
under glass began in Pana in 1918
when A. N. Nelson erected one
large greenhouse. To this house
he added 3 half houses in 1919 and
■i half hou.ses in 1920.’
In 1921 the Amling brothers,
Walter, Herbert and Martin, came
to Pana from Maywood, 111., where
they had received training in
flower growing in greenhouses
operated by their father.
The Amlings erected 4 large
houses and a power plant. Houses
were added through the years until
there are 28 in all, growing only
loses.
Business grew in volume and in
1927 the Amlings sold their in-
terests to the Maton brothers and
went to California. Upon return-
ing to Pana in 1928 they erected a
new series of 40 greenhouses with
a modern heating plant. The
concrete smokestack connected
with the heating plant is 285 feet
high, the tallest structure in Pana.
This newest greenhouse was lo-
cated west of the city. In 1945
the Amlings sold to a group of
men who organized Illinois Roses
Ltd.
One year following the Amling
brothers’ first venture into the
floral industry, the Matons, Paul,
Arthur, and Amol, all former
miners, erected 2 greenhouses and
grew flowers and vegetables. In
1923 a house was added; 2 were
added in 1925; and in 1927 a group
of 9 more was constiucted, making
a total of 14 houses and a power
plant.
Spanbauer & Webb erected a
range of 5 greenhouses with a
steam heating plant for growing
roses in 1925-26.
The Asa brothers, Clarence, Ed-
war-d and John, erected a range of
7 greenhouses in 1923. In 1929 a
range of 7 houses was added to
the original structure.
Thus the foundation for the
name "City of Roses’^ given to
Pana by the Jordan brother-s, for
years editor cf the Palladium.
