About the Orchard

Black and white photo of orchard workers, with a long conveyor belt carrying apples and other produce. The workers are dressed in early 20th-century attire, with wooden walls and crates in the background.

Jerome Collins and orchard workers

When CVO went out of business in 1968, Russ Allen and his three brothers took over management of the top of the hill, the best part of the the old CVO. The Allen family has kept it going ever since. It is arguably the best site for Northern Spy in New England—some original 1912 Northern Spy trees are still going strong. Some original Cortland and McIntosh are too. Russ Allen was trailblazing in his efforts to graft new apple varieties into the orchard as well, including Honeycrisp, Ginger Gold, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Roxbury Russet.

Open daily 9-5, September 1st to November 1st.

Higgins Hill Orchard was originally part of Connecticut Valley Orchard (CVO). On the hilltop near where Ethan Allen’s widow raised her kids, George A. Dascomb purchased 20 acres of land to plant apple trees in 1912. He harvested his first crop in 1917. For 32 years, Jerome Collins managed the orchard as it grew to over 150 acres.

He employed 30 full-time staff.

Russ Allen of Higgins Hill Orchard with grey beard and hair stands outdoors among apple trees, holding apples in his hands, with a large wooden crate filled with apples labeled 'Ready to Eat' in front of him.

Russ Allen

Higgins Hill orchard with neatly planted fruit trees, some with yellow and red markers, under a partly cloudy sky with sunlight filtering through the clouds.

The Higgins Hill Orchard in Westminster, is now operated as a pick-your-own operation. The staff has continued to graft new varieties, such as Harrison and Reine de Reinette, into the orchard.

Explore the 53 different apple varieties as you wander about, take a rest on the bench and watch the kids pick apples, all a legacy to Russ Allen, George A. Dascomb and Jerome Collins.  

View PYO Varieties