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Orchards of Old Economy, Penna.
by William Bowen
Milestones Vol 15 No 4 Winter 1990

The Harmonist Society of Old Economy were inclined very much to fruit orchards, as was evidenced by three great areas given over to the growing of fruit trees. Eating apples, crab apples for cider and jellies, peach trees and several varieties of pears, such as bartlett, gray doyenne, white doyennes, belle lucrative and the popular seckel pears, the seckels were sweet, aromatic and were eatable earlier. The largest apple orchard was located along the main road from Pittsburgh, the "Beaver Road", the Beaver Road was so called in each community that it passed through from Pittsburgh to Beaver. It is still named so in Sewickley, Edgeworth, Leetsdale, Ambridge and Conway. The Beaver Road Orchard extended for 5 blocks from 8th Street to 13th Street on the lst terrace of the hillside. The next orchard was the North Orchard, located from 16th Street in Old Economy to French Point. The South Orchard extended from 12th Street to 8th Street on the West Side of today's Merchant Street to the River bank. This was the Elite Orchard for table fruit. From the lesser grades of apples went into the cider mill where hundreds of barreled ciders went to the markets in Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. Mulberry trees lined both sides of 14th Street up to Beaver Road and extended along both sides of Beaver Road to 24th Street.

In the Elite "South Orchard" was built a large round, arched, and roofed, stone bandstand in a clearing of tall shade trees, this bandstand was situated on top of the "Indian Mound". It is believed that band leader John S. Duss had it built, at the heighth of his musical career about 1895 to 1905. He gave free summer band concerts. John Duss was invited among others to give a speech at Beaver County's 100th Anniversary celebration. After his band played a musical number that Duss had composed for the occasion. The "Beaver County Centennial March" entitled "Festival March" The Anniversary Celebration was held in Beaver, PA June 19th to 22nd, 1890. The music is printed on the last pages of Bausmans Vol. II.