In the middle of the 19th century, 'Prince Albert' was the most popular of all the varieties of English Pea in the United States. It was grown in England before 1837 and introduced into the United States in 1845. Fearing Burr, who described American vegetables in 1863, felt 'Prince Albert' was indistinguishable from 'Early Frame', one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites among the fifteen pea varieties he cultivated at Monticello. This early season English, or shelling, pea prefers cool, moist conditions. Monticello gardeners support the twining vines with tall branches, or “pea sticks.”