Morrill Orchard Company
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Morrill Orchard Company Peach farmer Roland Morrill (1852-1923) came to Texas from his native Michigan with W. W. McFarland in 1901 to start a large-scale peach farm. They purchased acreage in this area near a rail line and began the Morrill Orchard Company. A community known as Morrill grew up around the orchard operation and included a school, commissary, post office and worker housing. The panic of 1907, followed by a blight in 1914, killed the peach orchards, but the company continued in operation with other produce until the economic collapse of 1929 signaled its demise. At the turn of the 21st century, the superintendent's house stood as the only visible reminder of this part of the county's agricultural history. (2002)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1901 Michigan peach farmer Roland Morrill and partner W. W. McFarland came to Cherokee County to plant a large commercial orchard beside a rail line, founding the Morrill Orchard Company. A company town of school, commissary, post office, and worker housing grew up around it. The Panic of 1907 and a 1914 blight killed the peach trees, and though the firm limped on with other produce, the crash of 1929 finished it, leaving only the superintendent's house as a marker of its brief prosperity.
Why it matters
The rise and fall of the Morrill orchards captures the boom-and-bust of early industrial agriculture, when rail access and outside capital briefly made East Texas a commercial fruit belt.
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Related people
- · Roland Morrill
- · W. W. McFarland
Themes & tags
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