08/31/2026
We are not all about apples. Below is the Main reason we are trying to revitalize and "steward" the Edgerly and Smith Orchards in Princeton. It's really about Heritage Preservation. A remembrance of the past, and this communities opportunity for the future. Remembering how it was, will guide us on how to care for it now and in the future. David stopped by a few weeks back while we were working on the Farm Stand. We thank him for his time of chat, and the dialogue of his family on their Edgerly Farm.
Hi Adam,
This is David Hickey (Barbara Edgerly’s son). It was nice meeting you at your stand at the Edgerly orchard last month. Hope your summer is going well!
I’ve done some research on the Edgerly farm. I haven’t been able to turn up a whole lot of information, but I have some. My primary source of information is my mom, Barbara. She was born in 1932 and is 94 years old now. Barbara was the youngest of five children of Harry B. Edgerly (Parp) (1889 – 1970) and Annie B. (McDowell) Edgerly (Ma) (1892 – 1970). Also in the Edgerly family were Alta (1919 - 1995), Ruth (1922 - 2000), Ivan (1924 - 2008), and Hilda (1926 - 2011). Alta’s children, Jackie (1941 - ) and Donna (1942 - 2022), also grew up on the farm. I’ve included a picture, taken about 1943, of the family in front of the house.
Parp grew up on his parent’s farm in South Princeton. The Edgerly’s were early settlers of South Princeton. His grandfather, Isaac, came to South Princeton in the 1820’s. He owned a farm there which supported a large family. Parp’s parents, Samuel and Julia White, obtained the farm when Isaac died. Julia was born in New Brunswick.
Ma’s family lived on a farm in West Princeton. Ma’s father was Matthew McDowell. Ma’s mother was Susie Crocket, whose family lived in Big Lake Plantation. Her grandfather, George McDowell, came to Princeton from New Brunswick in 1844. He married Almeda Sprague, whose family came early to Princeton. He was a soldier in the Civil War. Ma was a school teacher before she married Parp.
Parp and Ma bought the property for the farm in about 1918 and built the farm house that is there now. They also bought another piece of land down the road on Route 1 where they grew vegetables, including potatoes that they sold, and hay. Barbara thinks he also continued to be involved with his parents’ South Princeton farm.
When Barbara was young, they had horses that they used to cut hay, plow the fields, and work in the orchard. Barbara can remember taking the horses out into the field. She said they were slow going out, but quickly came back to the barn. They also had a horse drawn potato digger. Barbara can remember having to collect the potatoes by hand after they were dug up.
They also had cows that they milked and chickens for eggs. They raised cows and pigs for sale and also had some slaughtered for food. Barbara can remember taking care of the baby pigs. She also remembers (less fondly) having to take the cows out to the field in the morning and then bringing them back in the afternoon. Parp and Ivan would also hunt during hunting season. In the 1940s, Parp put in a gasoline pump. Parp thought Ma could pump gas while he was working in the field (that doesn’t seem to have lasted very long).
Barbara always remembers having an orchard and is not sure when they planted the trees. The trees were most likely planted before she was born. She thinks they grew Macintosh, Courtland, and Northern Spy apples, although she doesn’t remember all the varieties they grew. Barbara remembers eating a lot of apples growing up (core and all). She remembers that Parp would add/replace trees over the years. In addition to apples they also had a few plum trees. She is not sure where Parp bought the trees, though they were probably mail-ordered. They also had bees that they got in the mail. She says Parp went to Moncton, New Brunswick, to get seed potatoes she thinks (seems like a long trip to me). I’ve included pictures of Parp and Ma in the orchard. This picture was probably taken in the 1950s. I’ve also included a picture of Parp and Ma in a small vegetable garden in front of the orchard. This picture is probably from the 1960s.
They bought a tractor in the 1940’s. Barbara can remember driving that tractor while pulling a sprayer with Parp sitting on it while spraying the trees. I’ve included a picture of Donna and Parp doing the same thing in about 1950, after Barbara left the farm for college. I’ve also included a picture of Jackie and Donna taken about 1955 on a new tractor. Parp, Ruth, and Lewis (Ruth’s son) are shown in another picture from about 1960 driving that tractor.
Ivan enlisted in the army during WW2. He went to the Pacific in 1945, just as the war ended (luckily). When he returned he went off to college.
One of the barns burned down, probably in the late 1960’s. I’ve included a picture of that. The other barn was probably taken down in the late 1970s.
Ma, Parp, and the family went to the Baptist church on main street (which is still there). Parp was a member of the Mason Lodge in town. Ma and later Hilda were active in the Order of the Eastern Star. Hilda went to secretarial school in Augusta after high school and worked for the Woodland paper mill from about 1950 until she retired.
By 1960 only Parp, Ma, and Hilda lived on the farm. All the children and grandchildren would continue to visit the farm over the years. My brother and sister and their children would also spend a couple of weeks each summer camping at Big Lake when their kids were growing up.
Well, that’s about it. Hope this is of some interest to you. Researching this has certainly been interesting for me. Good luck with the orchard!
Best,
David Hickey
