The Hagen History Center planted more than 1.2 million sunflowers at its Girard campus. The seeds will be distilled into sunflower-based spirits.
Visitors flock to see more than a million sunflowers in Girard Borough
The Battles Farm was founded by businessman Rush Battles in 1858. The houses and grounds today comprise the Girard campus of the Hagen History Center.
More than a million sunflowers are in bloom at the Battles Farm in Girard.
The sunflowers were planted as a project of the Hagen History Center, which operates the historic 130-acre farm in Girard Borough. Now in full bloom, the flowers stretch along Walnut Street from the walking trail south of the farm’s Yellow House, north beyond the Battles Farm’s White House, and west to Myrtle Street.
“There are sunflowers as far as the eye can see — 1.2 million of them,” said Pam Parker, project manager for the Hagen History Center. “Literally hundreds of people have been taking pictures and enjoying the view.”
The fields are stunning, said Hagen History Center Executive Director Cal Pifer. “The sunflowers are all chest or head height. When you look across them, it’s like a carpet of yellow.”
‘Grassroots Advocacy’
Preservation Pennsylvania has also taken notice of the sunflower project. The historic preservation organization presented its 2025 Grassroots Advocacy Award to Hagen History Center for reactivating the longtime family farm.
The Battles Farm was founded by businessman Rush Battles in 1858. The houses and grounds today comprise the Girard campus of the Hagen History Center.
The Battles Farm and Girard community provided the inspiration for the sunflower project.
“We were looking for a big, bold idea to attract people to Girard,” Pifer said. “In doing research and talking to other working farms throughout the United States, the consensus was that a large sunflower planting really delights a community.”
The cost, though, for so many sunflower seeds might have been prohibitive. The history center partnered with Wilds Sonshine Factory, a Kane, Pennsylvania, distillery that provided the seeds. “We couldn’t have done this without them,” Pifer said.
From sunflowers to ‘Sonshine’
Once the sunflowers fade, their seeds will be harvested and sent to Wilds Sonshine Factory, where they will be used to make Sonshine, billed as “the original sunflower spirit from seed to still.”
“Sunflowers are more than just beautiful,” said Dave Conklin, who founded Wilds Sonshine Factory in 2014. “They clean the soil, support pollinators and create ideal conditions for beekeeping — some of the best honey comes from hives near sunflower fields.”
The collaboration with Hagen History Center’s sunflower project is “a powerful blend of agriculture, environmental stewardship and economic development,” Conklin said.
Celebrating sunflowers
Special events at the Battles Farm celebrate the fields of flowers:
“Flower Arranging in the Sunflowers,” led by Country Estate Cut Flowers owner Kate Ricard, Aug. 8, 9:30 a.m.; cost: $55, including an arrangement to take home; ticket required.”Sunflower Dinners,” featuring four courses of sunflower fare, including roasted chicken with sunflower romesco and farm-fresh vegetables, Aug. 9, 7 p.m.; cost: $120, tickets required.
Tickets for a third event, “Painting Among the Sunflowers,” led by artist Simone Welsh on Aug. 9, have sold out.
Getting there
The Battles Farm is located on Walnut Street, off Main Street West — Route 20 — in Girard.
Walking trails on the grounds are open to the public. The farm’s houses are open for special events only.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@gannett.com.
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