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regardless of his ability.” In addition to the racism he faced, Brock and his wife, accustomed to bustling towns and rolling farmland, may have struggled with isolation. On rainy days, he reportedly sat for hours staring out of the window and was heard to mutter, "Trees, trees, nothing but trees!"
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On graduation, Brock became full-time supervisor of the state forest's seed nursery, overseeing the nursery's predominantly White staff and students from
September 1, 1906, until March 1, 1911. He authored technical reports and presented two papers at the first state foresters' convention in 1908,
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In 1903, Brock enrolled in the
Pennsylvania State Forest Academy (the future Penn State Mont Alto), one of only three forestry schools in the United States at the time. He ranked second in the academy's inaugural graduating class of 1906. Of his six-man cohort, Brock was the only African American,
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Brock left state service after three years and six months to start his own business managing landscaping, gardens, and orchards. Someone who graduated from the academy in 1909 said that “Brock had a hard time of it for none of the boys could quite content himself being ordered around by a darky,
235:, the official organ of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. In 1901, Rothrock arranged for Brock to accompany forester George H. Wirt as a student assistant to establish the Mont Alto State Forest Reserve (now Michaux State Forest).
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renamed Mont Alto's South
Mountain Seed Orchard to the Ralph E. Brock Seed Orchard to mark the forester's 120th birthday. On Arbor Day in 2001, the City of Pottsville planted a tree in his honor at the historic
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After moving back to West
Chester, Brock founded a seed nursery and cared for gardens and orchards at estates in the region. He worked in the nursery business in
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291:, though historians have not identified his dates of employment at these two sites. From 1944 to 1945, Brock worked part-time as an assistant gardener at the
307:, on December 9, 1959, at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife, Pauline Wethers of West Chester, whom he had married in 1908, and their son Russell T.
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Brock was the first
African American forester in the United States to complete a formal training program in forestry. In 2000, the
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making him the first academically trained forester in
Pennsylvania and in the United States. More than thirty years later, the
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at the Penn State Mont Alto campus. Brock was the first academically trained
African American forester in the United States.
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212:, and other Pennsylvania towns during Ralph's childhood. Brock attended West Chester public schools and graduated from
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speaking on the subjects of "Fertilizers in
Renewing Nursery Soil" and "Broadcast Sowing vs. Drill Planting."
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installed an exhibit in the museum's
Ecology Hall showcasing Brock's career at Mont Alto.
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516:"Forest Protection and the Founding of Pennsylvania's First Forestry School, 1901–1903"
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Brock's remains were interred in
Chestnut Grove Cemetery outside West Chester.
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at the entrance to the Penn State Mont Alto campus. In the mid-2000s, the
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would graduate the nation's second Black forester, Jim Johnston, in 1942.
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397:"Ralph E. Brock and the State Forest Academy at Mont Alto, Pennsylvania"
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Manno A., Ellen A.; Steiner, Kim C.; Day, R. Alexander (Fall 2002).
635:"Country's First African-American Forester Was Part of State Class"
184:, to John C. Brock (1843–1901) and Alcinda Jane (Dickson) Brock. A
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Brock soon became a protégé of Pennsylvania forestry commissioner
216:, a respected preparatory school for African American students in
447:"Reviving - and Revising - the Reputation of Ralph Elwood Brock"
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Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
196:, John Brock worked as a schoolteacher and a minister of the
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First African American trained forester in the United States
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Brock retired in 1957 due to failing health. He died in
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Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies
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nursery superintendent from 1906 to 1911. In 2003, the
148:(February 15, 1881 – December 9, 1959) was an American
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488:(11). Pennsylvania Forestry Association: 171–172.
668:"Orchard Named for First Black Forester in State"
329:Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
166:Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
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361:Pennsylvania Conservation Heritage Project
295:, a public housing development in Harlem.
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745:History of forestry in the United States
604:"Foresters of State Meet at the Capitol"
331:commemorated his accomplishments with a
180:Brock was born on February 15, 1881, in
765:Howard High School of Technology alumni
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231:and in 1904 published a short paper in
760:People from West Chester, Pennsylvania
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647:from the original on February 5, 2023
614:from the original on February 5, 2023
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548:from the original on February 5, 2023
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367:from the original on February 5, 2023
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755:People from Pottsville, Pennsylvania
750:Pennsylvania State University alumni
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476:Brock, Ralph Elwood (October 1904).
445:Williams, Rachel Jones (Fall 2007).
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570:Fikes, Robert (November 30, 2022).
492:from the original on March 25, 2023
478:"The Raising of the Hardy Catalpa"
198:African Methodist Episcopal Church
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666:Gvozdas, Susan (March 17, 2000).
633:Oster, Doug (February 21, 2004).
158:Pennsylvania State Forest Academy
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572:"Ralph Elwood Brock (1881-1959)"
269:Paul Laurence Dunbar Apartments
99:West Chester, Pennsylvania
451:Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine
190:43rd Colored Infantry Regiment
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673:Public Opinion (Chambersburg)
514:Thomas, Elizabeth H. (1977).
247:Forestry and gardening career
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16:American forester (1881–1959)
610:. March 6, 1908. p. 1.
337:State Museum of Pennsylvania
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229:University of Pennsylvania
188:veteran who served in the
160:in 1906, he worked as the
112:University of Pennsylvania
97:Chestnut Grove Cemetery,
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241:University of Washington
182:Pottsville, Pennsylvania
176:Early life and education
168:commemorated him with a
67:Pottsville, Pennsylvania
770:Burials in Pennsylvania
640:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
299:Personal life and death
265:John D. Rockefeller Jr.
225:Joseph Trimble Rothrock
170:state historical marker
154:Joseph Trimble Rothrock
408:Forest History Society
325:Charles Baber Cemetery
267:as a gardener for the
200:. The family lived in
156:. Graduating from the
363:. February 19, 2016.
711:at Wikimedia Commons
608:Harrisburg Telegraph
404:Forest History Today
305:Lawnside, New Jersey
218:Wilmington, Delaware
162:Michaux State Forest
117:Penn State Mont Alto
86:Lawnside, New Jersey
293:Harlem River Houses
740:American gardeners
735:American foresters
281:Rockefeller Center
214:Howard High School
194:American Civil War
146:Ralph Elwood Brock
53:Ralph Elwood Brock
707:Media related to
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63:February 15, 1881
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528:(4): 291–315.
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206:West Chester
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80:(1959-12-09)
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730:1959 deaths
725:1881 births
684:February 5,
651:February 5,
618:February 5,
588:February 5,
552:February 5,
496:February 5,
461:February 5,
371:February 5,
279:Gardens at
220:, in 1900.
192:during the
42: 1903
719:Categories
343:References
277:Radio City
202:Harrisburg
186:Union Army
126:Occupation
59:1881-02-15
534:0031-4528
289:Manhattan
105:Education
678:Archived
645:Archived
612:Archived
582:Archived
546:Archived
542:27772482
490:Archived
455:Archived
412:Archived
365:Archived
210:Carlisle
150:forester
130:Forester
283:and at
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314:Legacy
273:Harlem
88:, U.S.
69:, U.S.
37:Brock
538:JSTOR
415:(PDF)
400:(PDF)
686:2023
653:2023
620:2023
590:2023
554:2023
530:ISSN
498:2023
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75:Died
49:Born
287:in
271:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
