Our History

Orchard in Winter, 1960

The story of Apple Hill Orchard and Cider Mill is the story of the American family farm. Our farming roots can be traced back for decades. The land that produces our crop serves as our home and our farm combines the glory of the past with the best hope of the future. Farming is a hard never ending job, but we love it nevertheless. Our family can trace our apple growing heritage back to the turn of the 20^th century.

Our family is the heart of our apple business and Spencer Prewitt began the tradition. Spencer began growing apples in a time before modern conveniences. Instead of selling his apples to local grocery stores or near-by families, Spencer would load an old wagon with his fruit and begin a long trek to the piedmont of North Carolina. Along the way he would sell his fruit, enjoying his wife Sara's, fried apple pies. When he had sold his wagon load of apples, he would return home

Julius, Spencer's son, followed in his father's footsteps and continued growing apples. Julius and his wife had 12 children. Of the 12, two inherited the apple growing gene and either purchased or planted their own apple orchards. Harley Prewitt, Sr., one of Julius' sons, purchased an existing orchard that would become known as Apple Hill Orchard and Cider Mill.

Our family's orchard is part of the Enola community that rests in the South Mountains of North Carolina. During the time of Harley Prewitt, Sr. the Enola community was referred to as "the heart of the fruit growing country" by Dr. Edward W. Phifer, Jr. in his book Burke. However, over time, the numerous orchards of Burke County have disappeared. Now only two of the orchards named in Burke remain, Apple Hill Orchard being one.

Harley & Essie

Harley and his wife, Essie, purchased the orchard in 1955. At first Harley would sell his harvest in the manner of his grandfather, peddling apples from the back of a 1950 Chevrolet pickup. Over time, the fruit of Apple Hill Orchard was also sold directly at the orchard. In later years, as additional trees and land were added to the orchard, apples were sold through packing houses. The South Mountain Packing House was created by local apple growers, including Harley Prewitt, in order to market apples to grocery stores. Over time selling apples through packing houses became less profitable.

In the early 1990's the Prewitt family began planting new varieties of apples in an effort to provide more choices for customers that were visiting the orchard. Also during the early 1990's a cold storage facility, a Country Store, a Cider Mill, and a cider pasteurizer were added.

The addition of our Country Store and Cider Mill greatly expanded the business. Cider, jams, jellies, apple butters, apple related gifts, and unique items with a country flavor could now be found at the orchard. In 1995, the year the Country Store opened, our family opened Apple Hill Orchard to school groups to tour and visit the orchard and facilities.

From one century into another, our family has kept alive the tradition of apple growing. Our business is a family business that has stretched across the generations, and is now entering into its fifth generation.

"Apples have been part of my family's history for a long time. It is hard for me to imagine great Grandpa Spencer peddling apples from a wagon around 1900. But my father remembered Grandpa Spencer, his orchard, and the stories he told about his peddling trips. Dad even enjoyed the fried apple pies from his Grandma Sara's kitchen."
- Harley Prewitt, Jr.