The Jonathan Fisher House of Blue Hill will host our annual celebration of the arrival of autumn and the end of our tour season at the House on Sunday, October 9 from noon to 2:00 PM. Join us and bring your apples and other fruit to add to our community cider-pressing, and take a turn at the press at this free, outdoor, family-friendly event.

While this year’s weather conditions have meant that Jonathan Fisher’s own 200+ year-old pear tree did not bear any of its blue-ribbon winning pears, we will have apples to press, and we encourage attendees to bring fruit to contribute as well. Leslie Cummins, who manages the historic orchard at the Fisher House along with Tim Seabrook, will be providing apple identification services, so bring your mystery fruit to see if she can give you answers!

Additionally, there will be guided tours of the reconstructed historic orchard, highlighting Fisher’s original design and planting, as well as the process of re-establishing the orchard twenty years ago based on the documented apple varieties from Fisher’s original orchard map.

Joseph Greeley, Fisher House docent and volunteer, will also share a period cooking demonstration, making a hearty fall meal that could have been served in Fisher’s day, cooked in an outdoor cook-box. Cook-boxes are a maritime invention originally used aboard ships which were too small to contain a cooking hearth. Samples of the meal will be available for visitors to try, and other autumnal refreshments will be available.

Penny Ricker, art teacher at the Blue Hill Consolidated School, will lead a hands-on drawing activity for all ages inspired by Jonathan Fisher’s artwork.

This event is open to the public and free of charge, though donations to help support the Fisher House are always welcome. Weather-permitting, most events will take place outdoors, and tours of the interior of the House will be available (masks required indoors).

The Jonathan Fisher House is a historic house museum in Blue Hill. Fisher’s famed collection of folk art, surveying instruments, woodworking tools, furniture, and farming implements that he designed and personally made are housed at the Homestead located at 44 Mines Road (U.S. 15 S). For more information, call the Fisher House at 374-2459 or email jonathanfisherhouse@gmail.com.