BREAKING NEWS! TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATIONS NOW WELCOME!
Welcome to the new Crossnore Heritage Orchard website. In the last few months the CHOrchard has received a “501 3c” designation and contracted with PayPal to help us! We are happy to give those of you who want to help us take care of our Orchard, the opportunity to make a tax-deductable donation.
Our plans this year are two fold. One – To take care of our historic trees better than ever, with of your help! Two – Invite teachers to bring their students for Field Trips to the CHOrchard. They will be able to use our new, self-guided educational system. Our website / smartphone based system brings local and national apple history along pictures of our historical apples. Note: CHOchard Staff is looking forward to hosting these Field Trip visits.
This same digital learning experience is always available for the general public 7 days a week, daylight to dark! Now the general public, can now help support this opportunity! Click on the “Donate Now” button to the lower left!
There are new pages to this website! Visit the links to the < Left, or if you are on a phone just click on the “three lines.” Click our new Mission Statement, then find more information. List of Heirloom Apple Varieties, full Apple Descriptions, and other in-depth pages on the history of American Heirloom apples.
As you visit and walk through the orchard, locate the trees by their number and start learning about each. These apple tree varieties are 100 to 350 years old. They were grown by our nation’s “Founding Fathers” and by our own grandfathers over the years. This website is available on all your digital devices.
How This Began
In 2009 the Crossnore Communities for Children contacted the Avery County Cooperative Extension Center for help establishing a community orchard in the town of Crossnore. Planting historic heirloom apples became the mission. It is designed to be a living museum of the apple history of Crossnore and all of Avery County. It has become a collection of some of America’s greatest historic apple varieties.
We currently have 28 heirloom apple varieties on 43 trees, most of which are common in Avery County. We estimate they produce 40-100 bushels of apples annually. The apples are free for public collection, hands on education, and the celebration of apple history. These apple trees are planted for a “Community Park” atmosphere. If you are visiting for the first time today, stick around and learn more about these historic apple varieties using your smart phone!
The Crossnore Communities for Children, the Avery County Extension Center, and Volunteers continue to cultivate and maintain this orchard. The Town of Crossnore is a supporter of the Orchard. Click < Acknowledgements < to see all the folks who have made this Orchard possible.
Thanks for visiting this website. Please leave comments and any questions we can help you with. We want your thoughts and reviews to help us with this “work in progress”. Email us at Crossnoreheritageorchard@gmail.com or call 828-387-0174.
Thank You!
