Hampshire's Orchard Industry
Since its beginning in 1890 the orchard business has been an important commercial endeavor in Hampshire County. Although the largest orchards are now gone, it remains an important business. We still produce apples, peaches, cherries and other tree fruit.
Please send us photos if you have any!
Apples and Peaches were not the only fruit grown in orchards in Hampshire County. We are looking for information on the Paw Paw Orchard Company. They had land on the Little Cacapon off of Powers Hollow Road. If you have any information on this company of other orchard companies and operations please let us know.
The start of the orchard industry.
Apple production 1963 - 1 million bushels
Apple crates of Hampshire County and surrounding areas.
Apple varieties of Hampshire County.
Articles on the Fruit Industry in Hampshire County
Photo Album
Some of these photos are large files; be patient.
Additional resources
Note: There is a very good outline of Hampshire County food related subjects published online by The Farm2U Collaborative.
- 1890 first commercial peach orchard established by G.P. Miller & I.H.C. Pancake about 3 miles east of Romney.
- February 27, 1907 A partial carload of mules arrived here Sunday from Baltimore where they were purchased by H. C. Innskeep, manager of the Hampshire Orchard Company. The mules are intended for use in the new orchards that are being cleared on the mountain west of Mechanicsburg Gap. [2/28/07]
- March, 1927 meeting held at the Opera House to see if local fruit growers had an interest in joining a Potomac-Shenandoah-Cumberland Fruit Growers association. A committee of A. Z. Ewers, G. P. Miller, D. T. Williams, D. E. Swisher and L. H. Wolford was appointed to represent Hampshire County at a meeting in Martinsburg. At that meeting there was not enough support to form a cooperative. [Review March 9, 1927]
- 1985 Flood heavily damages facilities in low lying areas including Ewers packing/storage facility in Romney