History
Weston's Orchards, the oldest active orchard in Waukesha, were established in 1935 by Harvey and Alice Weston on a site owned by Alice's father, William Marckwardt. By this time the farm already had an orchard and several of its current buildings. For example, its Dutch colonial style barn dates to 1901.
The farm sits atop a glacial promontory named Prospect Hill and has a panoramic view of the surrounding valleys and lakes.
The family-operated orchards have supplied the public with historic apple varieties for over 60 years. Some of the orchards' trees were planted in the late nineteenth century and significant additional plantings were made during the Great Depression by the orchards current owners. The orchards cover 16 acres with more than 700 trees and over 100 varieties with dates varying from the Calville Blanc d'Hiver (1598), Gravenstien (1600) to the Wolf River (1881) and Pink Pearl (1944). Weston's Orchards work to conserve these antique apple vaieties from extinction. The Old Church apple, for example, is grown solely on their farm.
Weston's Orchards were included in the Prospect Hill Settlement Historic District because the grounds are an excellent example of a preserved turn- of-the-century farm. The orchards have also been added to the National Register of Rural Historic Landscapes.
The orchard farmstead reflects the apple culture in Waukesha County during the 1930's. The buildings show the shift from extensive land use to intensive use for specialty food production.
Weston's Antique Apple Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit foundation (possessing a 501C3 standing with the IRS) that is charged with the running of the apple orchards. Consequently, Weston's Antique Apple Foundation bears the burden of all expenditures for the orchards, which are considerable. We therefore encourage all persons interested in the preservation of these antique varieties to make a contribution to the Foundation. All such contributions are tax deductible.
