Germantown horticulturalist and nursery owner Thomas Meehan's publications were widely known in the second half of the 19th century. English-born Meehan came to America in 1848 and for a time worked at Bartram's Garden in southwest Philadelphia. He lived in Franklinville (Mount Airy). He began his nursery with land in Ambler and Mount Airy in 1854, expanding it to 75 acres in 1868 with the purchase of the Jacob Hortter farm east of Chew Street. William Saunders, noted Scottish landscape designer, was his partner for about a year before moving to Washington, D.C. to be superintendant of the government ground in Washington. (Saunders worked at Awbury Arboretum, Pomona Grove estate in Mount Airy and Hunting Park in Philadelphia.) A prolific writer, Meehan published "Meehan's Monthly," and "The American Handbook of Ornamental Trees," influencing taste and design. His nursery became the largest in America, with plants shipped to Europe, Australia, South Africa, and South America.
From the guide to the Jeannette Meehan Anderson collection on Thomas Meehan, Bulk, 1985-1994, 1890-1994, (Germantown Historical Society)
