Johnny Appleseed part 2
Here is a picture of the replica house that is beside the head stone I posted yesterday. Johnny Appleseed didn't wander the Midwest giving away apple seedlings and seeds, as many believe. In 1806 Johnny charged about 6 cents for a seedling. But if setters couldn't pay, they say he would accept cornmeal, old clothes or a promise to pay in the future. He probably gave trees to needy families. Johnny Appleseed was not a poor man, he was a businessman. He had money, but he used it for charity and to further his work rather than for his personal comfort.
We use to sing this song in school
`Here comes Johnny Appleseed.
Apple seeds are all he needs,
Planting orchards way out west.
Wears a pot upon his head,
Beneath the trees he makes his bed.
Folks say Johnny's apples are the best! `
Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman in Leominster in 1774. Travelling west he introduced apple trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. He became an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, his great leadership in conservation, and the symolic importance of apples.
On Johnny Appleseed lane you will find a head stone and a replica house. As the head stone states Johnny Appleseed was born near this site.