Here at Viles Arboretum, we're proud to steward many different varieties of apple trees in both our Heritage and Ancestral Apple Orchards. Apples have a long fascinating history in America, and perhaps no figure is more closely associated with their legacy than "Johnny Appleseed."
Many of us grew up hearing stories about Johnny Appleseed - the barefoot wanderer with a tin pot hat who scattered apple seeds across the frontier. But behind the legend was a real man named John Chapman, born in Massachusetts in 1774.
Chapman wasn't just planting trees for future snacking. He was also a savvy entrepreneur. Under frontier law, planting an orchard helped settlers claim land, and Chapman used this to his advantage. He established nurseries,
tended them until the trees were well rooted, then sold the land and moved on. Far from a whimsical drifter, he was more of an opportunistic real estate mogul.
In his book The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan explores the myth and reality of Johnny Appleseed. He suggests that Chapman represents a crossroads between two American ideals: the buttoned-up propriety of colonial Christianity and the untamed spirit of the wilderness. Pollan also notes that while people did eat some of Chapman's apples, most were used for making cider - a vital and popular drink in early America.
Chapman was widely respected and beloved. His apple trees provided settlers with a valuable resource, and his presence was often welcomed in frontier communities. A devoted follower of the mystic Swedenborgian Christian movement, he believed in divine visions and was known to go on long monologues about spirituality. Stories about his compassion for animals include extinguishing campfires to save mosquitoes and reportedly punishing his own foot for accidentally stepping on a bug.
As with many historical figures, it's important to view Chapman with a balanced lens - acknowledging both his contributions and the complexities of his life. Some of his personal beliefs were unusual and troubling by today's standards. For example, following his belief that young girls made the best spiritual companions, he allegedly sought to take a 10-year-old girl as his wife - a proposal that, thankfully, was rejected by her father.
Thanks to his quirkiness and rough appearance - ragged clothes and that icon pot hat - the transformation of Chapman into the folk hero "Johnny Appleseed" was well underway by the time of this death in 1845. Over time, his rough edges were smoothed away, leaving behind the friendly, nature-loving figure who walked barefoot through the woods spreading seeds of kindness.
At Viles Arboretum, stewarding these trees isn't just about preserving a piece of folklore - it's about protecting agricultural biodiversity and sharing the rich cultural stories tied to plants and landscapes. Our apple orchards contain historic and heirloom varieties, some of which were once common throughout New England but are now rarely seen. We also have apple species from Kazakhstan, the region where all domesticated apples are believed to have originated. In the forests near Almaty, the ancestors of today's apples - Malus sieversii - still grow wild. Our orchards connect visitors to the apple's remarkable journey across continents and centuries.
Today, when visiting the Arboretum's apple orchards, you're not just seeing beautiful trees - you're looking at living reminders of that larger apple story, and the curious man who helped plant it in the soil now known as America.
