Brown's Berry Patch: History of The Brown Family Farm

Brown Family

	1747	Elijah Brown, son of Benjamin, born in Rhode Island
	1774	Elijah Brown married Bathshua Sheffield on Fisher's Island off of Connecticut. They raised livestock on the 3x9-mile island and traded with the West Indies with their own ship.
	1776	During the Revolutionary War, the British took all of their livestock and supplies and burned the Brown family home and barns. The Browns moved to New London, Connecticut; Dresden, and Sodus, New York over the next 28 years or so.
	1804	Elijah bought a 100-acre farm along the Oak Orchard River on the south shore of Lake Ontario near what is now Waterport in Orleans County, NY. Elijah died while moving his family by boat to the new farm. His gravesite on the farm was the first marked grave in Orleans County. Bathshua and her five sons and seven daughters settled the farm in the unbroken wilderness. Elijah, Jr. planted the first apple trees.
	1812	During the War of 1812, British war ships patrolled the coast of Lake Ontario. The same British captain who plundered the Brown's farm in 1776, very foolishly was captured on the banks of the Oak Orchard River. He was brought to Bathshua Brown, the matriarch of the area, and subsequently let go by her to sail away and not bother this river again.
	1820	Robert M. and Fanny West Brown carried on the farm for that generation, followed by one of their children, Robert Ralph Sheffield and his wife Sarah Jane. Subsequently, their son Harry and his wife Pearl took over around 1895.
	1895	Harry and Pearl named the farm Orchard Dale Fruit Farms and began to specialize in growing fruit. Harry sold his flock of sheep to buy the first quince trees. Later, the family would be said to have the world's largest quince orchard (60+ acres).
	1900	Harry and Pearl shipped apples in wooden barrels to New York City and Europe.
	1925	Robert and Angie Brown put in an apple grader and packed apples in wooden baskets and pine boxes.
	1948	The Brown family was awarded the Century Farm Award by the New York State Agricultural Society.
	1940-1950	Robert along with his son Ralph and his wife Claire moved out of packing fresh fruit and began selling fruit for processing and canning. Fruit grown included apples, quince, cherries, pears, and plums.
	1980	Ralph's son Robert II and his wife Deborah planted strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries for people to come to the farm to pick. A transition began away from growing fruit for processing and back to growing fruit for fresh markets again.
	1984	Brown's Berry Patch retail farm market with pick your own fruit was opened. A partnership in Lake Ridge Fruit Co. with eight other growers for wholesale packing and shipping of fresh market apples was started. Ralph's son Eric joins the farm after college.
	2000	Barnyard Adventure - a Children's Discovery Playground with farm animals was added to Brown's Berry Patch.
	2003	Brown's Berry Patch was a Farm Direct Marketer of the Year Finalist at the 2003 North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association Conference.
	2004	Brown's Berry Patch was voted # 6 out of 20 most popular places for families to visit in the Rochester area by KidsOutAndAbout.com.
	2004	Robert II and his brother Eric Brown and their wives Deborah and Margy are the seventh generation of Browns on the family farm started in 1804. Today, they grow berries, peaches, apples, and pumpkins for wholesale, retail, and pick-your-own. Wholesale apples are packed under the Lake Ontario Brand and shipped to markets across the United States and exported to the United Kingdom. Brown's Berry Patch is a popular agritourism destination for families, school groups, motorcoach tours, history buffs who enjoy wholesome country fun. The market includes fresh fruit, ice cream, sandwiches, bakery, country gift shop, and Barnyard Adventure play are for children.
	2004	In September, Brown's Berry Patch received the 2004 New York State Agri-Tourism Award. The award is presented by the New York State Divisions of Tourism and Economic Development to recognize a private or not-for-profit organization in New York that has implemented a program or project promoting agricultural destinations to tourists.