The Mushroom Industry

The history of the mushroom industry of Kennett Square is not as long as some may think. In fact, the history of the mushroom industry of Kennett Square only goes back a mere one hundred and twelve years, to the year of eighteen-ninety, near the beginning of the industrial age. Kennett Square was not always the mushroom capitol of the world, though. Mushrooms have been around since ancient Egyptian times where they were used as delicacies, reserved only for the pharaohs.

Although the mushroom industry was originally an important industry for Europe in places like France and England, the industry soared in the United States. France established the mushroom industry in the eighteen-seventies, twenty years before the United States, while England adhered to the idea nearly ten years later, in the late eighteen-seventies. The United States was the last, and the most prominent, country to become involved in this industry. The United States began cultivating mushrooms in the early eighteen-nineties and is now the top mushroom-producing country in world, with the state of Pennsylvania producing an overwhelming forty-six percent of the United States' mushrooms(2003).

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is one of the reasons why Pennsylvania is such a major producer of mushrooms. A man founded the mushroom industry of Kennett Square in the year of eighteen-ninety two by the name of J.B. Swayne. He began growing mushrooms in his greenhouse in eighteen-seventy eight, although he never got a profit for them until the year of eighteen-ninety two. For years he grew his mushrooms on tables in greenhouses and small farms. J.B. Swayne completed construction on his first mushroom growing facility in the year of nineteen-twelve.

In these mushroom-cultivating houses, mushrooms grow in dark, gloomy environments; there is limited sunlight (mushrooms do not need sunlight to grow), in rich, fertile loam, composed of topsoil, manure, corncobs, straw, and seed hulls, with a layer of peat moss on top. Also, mushrooms are not grown from seeds, but they are grown from tiny, microscopic spores. Due to the particularity of the growing environment, it is helpful to have the proper surroundings for best cultivation. This is exactly why it was important for Swayne to construct his mushroom house. Since Swayne's major accomplishment, the mushroom industry of Kennett Square has skyrocketed, more and more mushroom cultivators have flocked to the area, and today Kennett Square provides the majority of Pennsylvania's mushroom crop.

Additionally, the mushroom industry is responsible for the majority of the growth of the town of Kennett Square. Diligent migrant workers are just a few people attracted to Kennett Square, as well as mushroom cultivators, storeowners, and merchants. The mushroom industry not only helped the growth of Kennett Square to boom, but it helped to establish a stable local economy, by producing numerous businesses and manufacturers. Thus, the industry is also responsible for much of the area's income, both directly and indirectly. The mushroom industry has provided many people with the homes they live in, and with the food they eat.

The mushroom industry plays a vital and sentimental role in the lives of virtually everyone in and around the Kennett Square and Unionville area. It has kept the culture rich and the people strong. Without the mushroom industry, Kennett Square would unquestionably be a lifeless, cultureless town. The mushroom industry has livened the small town of Kennett Square, and it will continue to make the town of Kennett Square a healthier, livelier town for as long as it exists. It has even spawned the Mushroom Festival, held in Spetember.