About Johnny Appleseed Authentic™ Apple Trees
Trees Grafted from the Last Known Surviving Tree Planted by Johnny Appleseed
Everyone knows the legend of Johnny Appleseed, the adventuring frontiersman who traveled early America and left hundreds of apple trees in his wake. Like most tall tales, this one contains a nugget of truth: over 100 years ago, a pioneer named John Chapman actually did venture through the frontier planting apple trees.
Decades later, the last surviving tree he planted was saved and propagated by, Jeff Meyer. Today, it lives on as the Johnny Appleseed Authentic™ Algeo Apple Tree.
Shepherded through nearly 200 years of American history by a family of rural Ohio farmers and preserved by the efforts of our founder, Jeff Meyer, the Johnny Appleseed Authentic™ Alego apple tree is more than a simple fruit tree. It's a piece of America's pioneering legacy.
The tree first came to our attention in 1995, after decades of stewardship on the Harvey-Algeo centennial farm in Ashland County, Ohio. Family legend holds that John Chapman, the real-life inspiration behind the Johnny Appleseed legend, visited their early American ancestors on a number of occasions, breaking bread with Dick Algeo's grandparents before retiring to sleep in a barn that still stands on the property today.
A lifetime conservationist who's planted more than 20 million trees, Jeff discovered this one while working with the nonprofit American Forests and immediately set out to preserve it. The trees offered here are bud-grafted, genetically identical copies of that iconic tree.