McDougal Orchards

McDougal Orchards is located on a portion of a 450 acre tract purchased at tax auction for fifty-two pounds ten shillings by Joshua Hanson in 1779. The land has been farmed in various ways by the same family ever since.

Up until 1930, there were 4 or 5 acres of orchard scattered throughout the farm, producing Russets, Pippins, Peewaukees, August Sweets, and other old varieties. From 1930-1933, Alva McDougal, who married Mary Hanson, planted 1600 McIntosh trees on 17 acres in what is now the Main Orchard. It was said that 400 trees per child would support a family (he had 4 children at the time). Some of these trees continue to bear fruit to this day.

Robert H. McDougal, one of Alva’s sons, owns the property today and was responsible for the initial modernization of the operation. Dwarf trees now replace most of the big, old standard trees and a cold storage has replaced the barn’s former cow tie-up. Most importantly, he was the first in the area to start a pick-your-own operation in 1974, after a hailstorm destroyed any hope of a wholesale crop.

Today, McDougal Orchards operation includes 3 generations of Hanson family descendants. The farm’s scenic location and proximity to the beaches and lakes of York County make it an extremely desirable day-trip location.

See what the family has done to keep it farmland.