Our History
Barber Orchards was started in 1910 by Richard Barber. His son RN (Dick) Barber expanded it to its largest size of 300 acres. In the Fall of 1977 Dick sold the orchard, packing house, and the stand to the Stewart Brothers. In 1993 the Stewarts sold Barber Orchards Fruit Stand, to Benny and Jane Arrington, current owners and operators along with their son, Stephen Arrington. At that time, it was just the rock part of the building that we still use as our bakery sales area today. Benny and Jane added the produce section and bakery in 1998. In 1999 Benny and Jane purchased the remaining Barber orchard, that can be seen from Highway 74, just below Barber Orchards housing development and added it to our farm. It's the only remaining 12 acres of the original 500 acres Barber orchards.
Our family, the Arrington’s, have been growing apples in Haywood County for five generations under the name Pinnacle Mountain Orchards. Starting with Will Arrington, then his son Rufus Arrington. When Rufus’ son, Cecil Arrington, was old enough, he also joined his father in farming but was soon deployed overseas during World War II. Cecil became a Sargent in the Army and was injured by an artillery shell, where he lost his right leg and was sent back home. Upon his return, he learned to use a prosodic leg and went back to growing apples. He married Betty Massie in 1947 and they had four children, one of which was Benny. In 1971 Benny graduated high school and began farming full time with his father. Cecil farmed until his passing in December of 2008. In 1978 Benny married Jane Beck and they have two children, Stephen and Elizabeth. In 2001 Stephen joined his father and grandfather as our fifth-generation apple farmer. In 2009 Stephen married Jennifer Kelley and they have three children, Sadie, Levi and Ava. And if you’ve ever met Levi, you’ll know there’s a pretty good chance that he’ll choose to be our sixth-generation apple farmer, because the kid LOVES farming. So, as you can tell, our roots run deep in agriculture. Our family has always strived to grow the best fruit for our customers, and Lord willing we look forward continuing this tradition for generations to come.
John Thomas Rhinehart was Mr. Barber's first superintendent. Here he is pictured with the first work crew back in 1903. Picture courtesy of Yvette McClure
John Thomas Rhinehart was Mr. Barber's first superintendent back in 1903. Here he is pictured standing in a peach tree. Picture courtesy of Yvette McClure
Some of Dick Barber's orchard employees. Mules were used for a lot of the heavy pulling because the tractors of those days would have been difficult to use with our steep mountain terrain. Men on the mules left to right: Jim Trull, Garrett Hill, Rich Trull, John Hawkins, Cliff Moore, Johnnie Sparks, Walter Hawkins, Standing: Hardy Sparks holding Kathryn Sparks Picture courtesy of Doug Sparks
Barber Orchards 1920
Barber's Picking Crew around 1940
Some of Mr. Barber's workers. (Year unknown) First row left to right: Bill Corbin, Bud Hill, Frank Griffin, Willard Beck, Dan Arrington, Dorothy Cochran, Freida Arrington, Edith Crawford, Gladys Stiles and Nell Holloway Second row: Henry Conner, Elias McMahan, Whydman Rodgers, Ed Caldwell, Gilmer Stiles, J D Ashe, Frank Massengale, Floyd Rodgers and Edith Mills Third row: William McMahan, R L Corbin, Shorty Deweese, Keith Hill, Claude Dillard, George Carver, Lora Arrington and Love Stiles
Barber Orchards Employees (year unknown) First row: D A Whitner, Claude Sorrells, Ray Smathers...Arthur Brooks behind D A Top row: Grady Bryson, Robert Smathers, Red McMahan, Blackie McMahan, Landon Burris, J R Zimmerman, Lester Sawyer and Harry Porter.
Barber Orchards pickers, Luther Conner and Ray Smathers in picture. Others unknown
Here's a picture of Mr. Barber's employees spraying the orchard back in the day. He had underground pipes that ran though each orchard. They would put everything in pool-like tanks at the bottom of the orchard, mix it, and then pump it up the mountain with an electric pump. The employees would then use hoses to hook onto the pipes and spray trees as far as they could and then move and rehook to spray more trees. Thankfully things have changed a lot since then and we now know a lot more about how to safely protect our environment, crop, and ourselves while spraying. We use tractors with cabs and pull air blast sprayers to spray our trees. And we also follow all the laws and guidelines set out by the EPA and NCDA to ensure our products are safe for us and our customers.
Perry Smathers (left) and William (Bud) Albert Hill, Jr. (right) working in the orchard. Picture courtesy of David Hil
This gem was preserved by the Haywood County Historical Society. It's the rock part of our building where our bakery entrance is now. The man in the picture is Mr. Johnny Sparks, an employee of Barber Orchards sometime in the 1930's. If you notice, there's a Gulf Gasoline sign hanging on the outside. That's because Mr. Barber also had gas pumps where our picnic tables are now set up. You could fill up your car and get apples all at the same time!
A Christmas ad from Franklin Press back in 1933. Picture courtesy of Jack Moore
Mr. Barber's picking crew. The year is unknown. Now granted, Mr. Barber had about 500 acres of orchards and we have about 100. But look how many people it took to work the orchards back then! Not all these people picked apples at once. Some we're on sorting crews, mowing, spraying, etc. Now we do it all with 9 men and Benny and Stephen running the tractors and trucks. Thank goodness for modern equipment! Their yield then vs. ours today- They planted about 275 standard sizes trees to the acre, and we plant anywhere from 700 to 1000 dwarf trees to the acre. Our trees are at full production in about 5 years and standard trees are closer to 10 years. We also know a lot more about thinning, spraying, etc. to get higher yields through studies done through several universities and research stations.
This is another picture of John Sparks when he ran Barber Orchards Fruit Stand around 1940. Mr. Spark ran the stand for more than 10 years. Photo Courtesy of Doug Sparks
Getting ready to spray in the orchard with truck with an added tank on the back. Mr. William Albert Hill, jr in the back. Mr. Garrett Hill in the front, and an unknown gentleman in the middle. There they are loading the truck that hauled the spray for the orchard. *Picture courtesy of David Hill
Back in the 1940's, Dick Barber install this state-of-the-art central spray system in his orchard where today sits Barber Orchards Subdivision. On what is now Winesap Lane, he built a pump house that held two 1,000 gallon concrete tanks. These tanks were pumped by three 35 gallon per minute John Bean electric pumps. The spray was then pumped into the orchard through 2.5 inch main lines into the lateral pipes. Then the employees could attach their hose and spray wands in different places on the pipe to spray the trees. They sprayed like this from the 1940 until the early 1970's.
Can you believe Mr. RN Barber even had his own calendars made for the orchard?! This calendar is from 1949.
This photo is from Barber Orchards' 1949 calendar. We still use the William Tell Brand, pictured on the left side, on our bushel apple boxes today. Notice at all the bushel wooden apple crates lining the mountain side waiting to be pick up to go to their packing house. We now use 20-bushel plastic bins that are picked up with either tractor forks or our bin trailer.
October in Barber Orchards' 1949 calendar
November in Barber Orchards' 1949 calendar
Our William Tell logo was originally used as the name for Mr. Barber's premium grade of apples. This grade of apples was sold all over grocery stores in the southeast called the A&P Tea Company. Mr. Barber also had a grade called Water Rock Knob and Clay Hill. We're not sure what each of these grades were and have not been able to find the graphic that would have been associated with each grade. We still use the William Tell logo today and it is printed on the side of all our bushel boxes.
See following the two photos.
Document one has mentioned in the previous photo.
Letter from Mr. Barber has mentioned in previous photo.
It was the spring of 1950 in Saunook, North Carolina and Mrs. Louise Corbin, who was an employee of Barber's Orchard, was sitting on her in-law's porch when a car stopped and asked her if she would like to double as Susan Hayward for the movie I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (released in 1951). Mrs. Corbin accepted and began working with the movie crew shortly after. One scene was shot in Barber's Orchard where the main characters rode their horse and buggy through a beautiful apple orchard in full bloom. Part of this orchard is actually still there today. The scene was shot in our Gaddis field which can be seen from the Smoky Mtn. Expressway, below the Barber's Orchard Development, which had also formerly been part of the orchard. This is the last remaining orchard from Mr. RN Barber's legacy. We, the Arrington's, purchased it in 1999 to add it to our family's orchards which is known as Pinnacle Mountain Orchards. Here is a link to a YouTube below where Mrs. Corbin was interviewed about her time filming I'd Climb the Highest Mountain.
The camera crew filming I'd Climb the Highest Mountain in the spring of 1950 as mentioned in the previous photo. Notice the apple blossoms on the right side of the photo.
The picture is of the original Barber's Orchard in Saunook sometime during or after the 1960's. (Provided courtesy of Haywood County Public Library)
Barber Orchards employees 1960 Picture courtesy of Mrs. Louise Corbin
Ms. Louise Corbin back in the early 1960's. She was hand thinning the apple trees in Barber Orchards back when the Barber family still owned it.
Mrs. Louise Corbin bagging apples when she worked for Mr. Barber.
The is one of the Barber's apple crate sheds in the early 1980's. It was in the orchard that is now the Barber Orchard Housing Development near the intersection of Honeybee Way and Gordon Drive. Picture courtesy of Doug Sparks
Will and Laura Arrington, Benny's great grandparents. Will was the first-generation apple farmer in our family here in Waynesville. He lived from 1858-1937. Will also made violins by hand and sold them. There are 6 violins that are still within our family, and they are wonderfully prized heirlooms.
Rufus and Bell Arrington. Rufus was the second-generation apple farmer in our Arrington family. He lived from 1886-1943 and had seven sons. Three of those sons also chose to grow apples in Waynesville.
This was an ad put in the newspaper in the 1930's by Will Arrington. He sold to locals, but he also sold to trucks that would stop and buy apples and sell them all over in the United States. The rock apple house that Will sold out of is still standing today.
Pictured on the left is Cecil Arrington, the 3rd generation apple farmer in our family's orchard. Beside him is his young nephew, Bill Arrington. They were using the scythe to cut the grass in the orchard. Thankfully, we have tractors with mowers to do that job now. We think this picture was from the mid 1930's. (Picture courtesy of Alan Arrington)
This is a certificate of the Smokey Mountain National Park Chapter of the FFA, which included Waynesville Township High School, back in 1936! Benny's dad, Cecil Arrington, is listed in the first column of names. This is an amazing organization that Cecil, Benny, and Stephen have all been apart of when they were in high school
Mr. George Ammons back in 1973 picking apples in our Pinnacle Drive orchard. His family lived in Saunook and worked for us (the Arringtons) as well as several other apple growers in the area. If you notice the "Pinnacle Mountain Orchard" stamped on the wooden apple boxes. That is the name of the Arrington farm, that we still use today.
Cecil Arrington, our 3rd generation apple farmer, in 1968 holding one of his Stayman apples.
Benny Arrington, around age 17 in the late 1960's. This press was also use by his father, Cecil and grandfather, Rufus. They would make cider and store it in a spring off Old Balsam Road and would charge a nickle per glass to people that saw their sign and stopped by.
Benny and Jane Arrington back in 1979 with their first hydraulic cider press.
This is Willard Beck, Jane's father, in 1979. He worked for the Barber's for several years and he eventually helped Benny with making cider for our orchard. He self-dubbed himself "the pummy man" as he hauled it off, as in this picture.
Cecil Arrington was featured in The Mountaineer newspaper with his cider press in 1990. This press could make 250 gallons of cider an hour and it took four people to operate it. With our current cider machine, we can make 450 gallon of cider an hour with just two people. One of the many interesting things about Cecil is that he lost his right leg in Europe during WWII and he said the thing that keep him going during the war was his desire to come back to Waynesville and grow apples.
Betty Arrington back in the early 1980's. She just celebrated her 93rd birthday in December of 2023. She was married to Cecil Arrington up until his death in 2008. This was taken when they would sell their apples out of a garage apartment off Old Balsam Road. They had a sign at the road and you could pull up here and purchase their apples and apparently pumpkins too.
Benny, Jane, and Elizabeth Arrington in March of 1993 when they had just purchased the fruit stand from the Stewarts.
This video is courtesy of Gary Arrington. He interviewed Mrs. Louise Corbin, about her experience doubling as Susan Hayworth in the movie I’d Climb the Highest Mountain that was partially filmed in our area, including Barber Orchards. Sadly, Mrs. Corbin passed away a few years ago but we’re so glad that she shared this exciting piece of history before she died.