Russell Orchards - Ipswich, MA

Dr. Joseph Goodale planted the first trees for what would become the Russell Orchards in 1920. Located on Argilla Road in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the Goodale Orchards, as it was initially named, primarily sold their Apples at markets in Boston. Kenneth Macleod, the farm manager, began working on the property in 1932. He operated a cider mill and bought the farm from the Goodale Family in 1950. MacLeod opened a retail store and allowed people to pick their own apples.

Gladys, his wife, died in 1971, and they had no children to take over the orchard. So he decided in 1978 that it was time to quit and wanted to see the land left as open land like it was when he bought it but was willing to sell to the first person how could come up with the money. Sally Weatherall, a farm neighbor, heard that and wrote to MacLeod’s neighbors about preserving their agricultural land. As a result, 18 people formed the Friends of Goodale Orchards and bought the property for $238,000. MacLeod had received a higher offer but accepted the Friends with the understanding that he could build a house on 1 1/2 acres of the land.

The Friends invested varying amounts in the orchard ranging from $1000 to $50,000. Finally, they placed ads for the property for $300,000 with a conservation restriction to ensure it would remain an open space. Max Russell, a 45-year-old aerospace engineer, purchased the property from the Friends for $225,000 on June 8, 1979. He went to work pruning trees on the orchard the same day.

Over the next eight years, Russell replaced around 450 trees, as most of them were the same ones planted by Dr. Goodale in the 1920s and had grown gnarled or misshapen. In 2000, after owning the orchard for over 20 years, it was renamed, Russell Orchard. The Russells expanded the pick your own fruit beyond apples to include; Strawberries, Cherries, Currants, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries. They also started an actual farm store that offers fruit wines, apple cider donuts, pies, cookies, and of course, apple cider.