Penland's Apple House

Our beginnings were simple. Penland's started when Samuel Huey Penland planted some Shockley and Limbertwig apple trees. A covered wagon brought the trees from North Carolina to the new farmland Sam had acquired here in Gilmer County in the mid-1800s. The farm was eventually sold by his son, Thomas Young Penland, but was repurchased by Samuel Huey's grandson, Samuel Oscar, Sr., in 1936. SO Sr. grew Single Red, Stayman Winesap, Detroit Red, and Yate apples. The trees were huge and proved a challenge for the farmer, who struggled with his 18-foot ladders, spraying by hand and picking into individual bushel boxes. 

Samuel Oscar's youngest son, Thomas Lewis, shared his father's love of the orchard and early on began to care for the farm alongside his father. Thomas was a help on the farm even while enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens. In 1946, after serving in Europe during WWII, Thomas returned home and devoted himself full-time to the farm. It was with his help the acreage was developed to aid production. Throughout the 1960's the farm's producing acreage grew to over 100 acres of thriving trees. Since that time, the orchard has produced around 15 varieties of apples for both retail and wholesale purposes. Thomas remained committed to the farm until his death in 1992, at which time his sons John and Lee took full ownership. You can find John and Lee working the farm today. 

Today, Penland's consists of two retail locations in addition to a wholesale business. At either location, you can find our apples, as well as a wide assortment of apple products, including but not limited to jams and jellies, apple butter, fresh apple fritters and bread, pasteurized apple cider, and delicious apple pies fried daily. 

Our tree-ripened mountain apples begin to arrive in early July and are picked through late November.