Driving home down Greentree Road today, I took a detour down Stow Road. I had learned at the most recent Town Council meeting that the developer who was planning on building Senior Affordable Housing on Stow Road had received the affordable housing credits that they applied for, so the plan to build the development can proceed. I wanted to see if any preparatory work clearing the land had been done yet.
It was during this detour that I learned of the passing of Ed Stow Jr.
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| Memorial at corner of Greentree Road and Stow Road - 5/12/2019 |
Ed Stow Jr was the co-owner of Spring Meadow Dairy Farm (aka Stow Farm). Back when Evesham was mostly farmland, the Stow Farm operated in Evesham since the 1940s . Originally run by his father, Ed Stow Sr, and then jointly by father and son, the 251 acre farm was one of the last dairy farms in Evesham. The farm was located off Greentree Road, near Route 73, adjacent to the Byron T Roberts Farm (which was sold to developers in 1974).
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| Farms of Evesham in 1957 - Stow Farm at the top right - Photo Courtesy of John Flack Jr |
In 1956, there were 33 dairy farms in Evesham. As times changed and Evesham became more developed, it became more difficult to run a profitable farm. By 1971, the number of dairy farms had dropped to 4. "We've learned to be satisfied with breaking even" said Sarah Stow, for an article in the Evesham Township News from 1971. "We'll stay as long as taxes and prices let us stay" said her husband Ed Stow Jr.
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| Ed Stow Jr in 1971 |
The farm was sold in 1981.
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| Stow Farm - Photo Courtesy of John Flack |
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| Arrow shows approximately location of farmhouse |
Ed Stow Jr passed away on May 2, 2019. You can read his obituary here. In addition to running the farm, Mr Stow was a busdriver for the Tabernacle School District, ran a charter fishing boat out of Sea Isle City, was a member of the Marlton Emergency Squad and the Marlton Rotary Club, Sunday School Teacher, and was the Director of Property and Grounds at the Wiley Christian Retirement Community in Marlton.
My thoughts and sympathies go out to the entire Stow family during these difficult times.
My thoughts and sympathies go out to the entire Stow family during these difficult times.
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