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County Line Orchard has been owned and operated by Todd Smith since 1987. With his marriage in 2007, he was joined by his wife Cindy Heist. We are dedicated to growing the finest varieties of fruit the best way we know in order to provide our retail customers with quality fruit picked at the optimum ripeness. The underlying concept is that there are great-tasting fruit varieties that can consistently please customers if strict quality standards are maintained. We use the integrated pest management approach to maintain a healthy environment.
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County Line Orchard includes 30 acres of
fruit trees.
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We sell our fruit seasonally in the market along with other fruit products at the farm 2 miles north of Kempton on Rt. 143. We also offer pick-your-own blueberries and apples. Additionally our fruit is a sold at nearby CSAs and to other wholesale customers. |
Orchard History: The oldest trees of County Line Orchard were planted by Rewellien (Rudy) Mohr in 1982. As founder of Mohr Orchards and later part owner of Trexler Orchards, Mohr was one of the horticulturists responsible for the expansion of commercial fruit growing in the Lehigh Valley. The original planting included nectarines, apricots, and Rome, Jerseymac, Empire, and Red Delicious Apples.
The stand on State Highway 143 began selling fruit from the farm in 1984. The orchard was operated by the Kistler/Delong family from 1984 until 1987.
In 1987 the orchard was purchased by Todd Smith. During the next two years, he planted peaches and the apple varieties Gala, Jonagold, Stayman Winesap, Cortland, McIntosh, and Prima. In later years major plantings of various peaches, sweet cherries, pluots, blueberries, Bosc and Bartlett pears, and Keepsake, Braeburn, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp apples were added. An 8,000 bu cold storage, constructed in the barn during 1996, provided on-site storage to maintain apple quality through the fall.
Earlier History: The farm on the Ontelaunee (Maiden) Creek was an important location for water power in the 19th century. A mill was constructed by Whitman in 1818. In the later 1800s, the stone mill, still standing, was operated by William Moser. He had water-power conveyed to the other farm buildings and was known for producing drilled fence posts.
In 1880, the Berks County Railroad Company laid tracks and built a covered bridge over the Ontelaunee Creek on the property. The covered bridge was replaced in 1918 with a concrete bridge to maintain this important passenger and agricultural-product transportation link between Reading and Lehigh Valley Railroad in Slatington.
The farm is in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch area. Pennsylvania Germans had very diversified, mostly self-sufficient farms and distinctive culture since the 1600s. Notably, Charles E. and Hattie V. C. Lenhart farmed the land from their marriage in 1908 until 1979. They are memorialized with a picture of the homestead on the gravestone in the Red Church cemetery.
