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About the Farm

Established in 1852, Sandy River Apple Orchard has been in the Fenton family since 1852. Frank L. Fenton with his wife Angelia bought the farm from the original settlers whom are buried in the cemetery behind the main house. In 1910 Frank's son, William Fenton, bought the adjacient farm and began to work both farms. After sitting vacant for 30 years, William's son Francis W. Fenton retired from the Navy and returned in 1972 to re-establish the farm and orchards. Francis along with his wife Dollie Lea brought the farm back into full production. Francis ran the orchard until his death on May 11, 2015, just two months short of his hundreth birthday. Today, Francis's daughter Carol Fenton Gilbert and husband Jim run the orchard with help from local farm-share programs. The Orchard is open for the 2020 season from September 5th through the end of October, 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm. Come visit us and enjoy all our quaint orchard has to offer!

See Francis Fenton's obituary.

The farms 200+ year-old barn was restored in 2012. Click here to visit the barn restoration blog.

Sandy River Apple Farm in Mercer is of the 178 Maine farms and farm-related organizations that were chosen to be featured in the newly-released book entitled Unique Maine Farms. Maine
author and photographer, Mary Quinn Doyle, chose Sandy River Apple Farm to be included in the "Fruit and Flower Farms" section of her 296-page book.

Information and many photos of Sandy River Apple Farm can be found on the Unique Maine Farms' website: www.uniquemainefarms.com

Mother Earth News has invited Mary Quinn Doyle to share the stories of Maine's unique farms in a
blog on their website so the agricultural efforts taking place at Sandy River Apple Farm Farm will be highlighted on both a national and international level in the future.