Historic Orchards and Fruit Trees

In some national park units, fruit trees or orchards are known to be associated with the historic significance of a site. For example, the peach orchard at Gettysburg National Battlefield is known to have been important in troop maneuvers during the Civil War. In other places, fruit trees are part of a vernacular landscape that was settled before the designation of the park, where they reflect perhaps less dramatic but still important cultural uses of the land.

Because of this relationship to historic events, orchards and fruit trees in national parks have been evaluated for National Register eligibility or maintained to various degrees, receiving different amounts of care and attention.

The information on these pages show where fruit trees and orchards are features of cultural landscapes; from those that are popular visitor destinations to the less well-known orchards, and from original old trees to replanted or reconstructed orchards. It also provides a basis for relating fruit trees to the overall history of fruit growing in the United States and resources for the care and maintenance of orchards and fruit trees in historic landscapes.