Back when Rappahannock was first being settled, every farm had its own stand of apple trees to provide sustenance for the farmers and, perhaps, something to sell to settlers heading west. The fruits from these trees weren’t the standard red or golden that you find in the grocery store. Instead, they were striped or dotted, came in colors from pink to green (and virtually every color in between) and they weren’t the perfectly formed. Some were conical while others can only be charitably described as “irregular.” Some were better for cooking, while others were made for pies or cider, but what they all had in common was taste. For years, many of these heirloom varieties were lost to time, but through the work of many dedicated farmers many of these apples are being restored to their rightful prominence. Whether they are Farmer’s Sweets, Early Blazes, Golden Spices, Malindas, Sweet Carolines or any of the other of the 400 varieties planted in Hall’s Orchard, these apples tell the story of America.
The 18 acre +/- orchard is located off of Bear Wallow Road in Huntly. You enter the property through a long driveway that has a beautifully restored stone wall that runs along the southern border. As you enter the property, the stone wall divides the property into two orchards. The northern orchard is filled with hundreds of heirloom varieties that were all planted in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The southern orchard is much older and is filled with York and Winesap apples.
The entire property sits on a broad flat plain with mountain views in virtually every direction. The land offers several wonderful home sites and is a pleasure to walk through. A strong stream runs along the western border and then turns and runs along the southern portion of the property.
Despite its perfect privacy, the property is easily accessible and conveniently located. Flint Hill, Virginia is five minutes away; it is 10 minutes to Front Royal and 75 minutes to Dulles Airport. Bear Wallow is convenient to restaurants in Flint Hill, Little Washington, and Sperryville and several wineries are in the neighborhood. It’s only a 20 minute drive to the Shenandoah National Park boundary offering an amazing array of waterfalls, canyons, trails and hikes.
