USDA Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor.

by Lucy Curtis

Many of you likely drive by it every week.

Tucked off to the east of Mermaid Lane in Wyndmoor, between Stenton and Cheltenham avenues, sits the unremarkable, rectangular office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In passing, you might mistake it for a mid-19th century high school.

You might wonder, “What is the USDA doing in Wyndmoor?”

It’s been more than 75 years since the Eastern Regional Research Center was built. The land in Wyndmoor that was used was originally a horse farm owned and operated by Edward Stotesbury and his family. The farm was named Winoga Stock Farm after the owner’s favorite mare. In 1918 Stotesbury sold his horses and converted the farm to food production. The farm serviced Whitemarsh Hall, a mansion where the Stotesburys lived.

In 1938 Edward Stotesbury died, leaving his wife and stepson an enormous estate and not a lot of options when it came to how to manage it. Eva Stotesbury and her son sold the land to the U.S. government to be used as space for the research center.

The Wyndmoor of today is a bustling suburb. In the early 1900s, however, it was quite rural, the rolling hills dotted with fields and farms. The research center housed hundreds of scientists and researchers, all of whom were working towards a deeper understanding of how agriculture and food impacted and were impacted by the world around them.

The Eastern Regional Research Center was built because of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. Among other things, the act required four agricultural research centers to be built in strategic locations around the country.

The research centers are part of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which is the principal research agency for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Along with the other three research centers, the Eastern Regional Research Center was created to research agriculture, nutrition, food safety and conservation and sustainability.

The Winoga Stock Farm was located on the property currently home to the USDA Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor. (Photo courtesy of Springfield Township Historical Society)

Construction of the center was finished in 1940 and research began that same year. Francis Wells became the first director of the research center and worked there for the next 40 years. Wells was a successful chemist before he began working for the ARS-USDA, but he was only in his early 30s while all of the other directors were much older. Before becoming director, Wells traveled a lot. His job was to test the air and surrounding land for traces of pollutants or toxins.

In the 1930s Wells went back to school to study chemistry at the graduate level. He received his doctorate six months after taking the job as director of the research center. Wells worked as director from 1939 to 1979, and even after retirement was actively involved with the center up until his death in 2003 at the age of 96.

Ever since its founding, the Eastern Regional Research Center has made many contributions to food science and agricultural research. One notable contribution was the improvement of the food dehydration process, especially the potato flake process and explosion puffing. This research was officially attributed to the center in 2007.

The Eastern Regional Research Center has been a part of local history and innovation for almost a century, and it is sure to continue working to improve technology and understanding related to agriculture, nutrition and health for many years to come.