Project Focus: The Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, is significant for its associations with J.I. Rodale (1898-1971), an early proponent of organic gardening and farming in the twentieth century. Working from the home, office, and laboratory he established on the Farm, J.I., and later, his son Robert, played a definitive role in introducing the theories and principles of organic horticulture and agriculture to the public through his numerous publications, particularly Organic Gardening and Prevention. The principles Rodale promoted as his life’s work - organic food production, healthy lifestyles, and soil and open space preservation - were all part of the inception of the larger environmental movement witnessed today. Rodale was among a handful of individuals who can be credited with bringing about the environmental awareness of the late twentieth century. The property’s period of significance begins with J.I.’s purchase of his farm in 1940 and ends with his death in 1971. The Farm is one of the few properties in the state that is less than 50 years old to have been included in the National Register - an exception to the "50 year rule" was made in light of its significance. Our National Register Nomination for the property was approved by the National Park Service in 1999, and we are planning to prepare a National Historic Landmark Nomination in the near future. |
 Looking east in Rodale's stone-mulched gardens.
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