GREENFIELD — The Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township hosted its 24th annual AppleFest Oct. 4 at the John Wesley Gandy Farmstead on Tyler Road.
The festival is one of the major community-wide events held each year by the HPSUT and is a favorite fall gathering for residents and visitors of the township.
HPSUT President Carol Williams said the two-story house was built in 1815 by Joseph Falkinburge for a tenant farmer on the original Henry Young Plantation.
“This house sheltered, and the land supported, generations of farmers, mariners, shipbuilders, weavers, preachers and public office holders,” Williams said.
Born in 1847, Joseph Wesley Gandy and his wife, Emma Lavinia VanGilder Gandy, raised six children in the three-bedroom home. Gandy lived in the house until his death in 1929.
In 1996, the heirs of Winifred Gandy donated the house and the one acre of land to the HPSUT so that it would be preserved to honor the Gandy family.
The home’s 17-foot by 20-foot footprint stands on granite pillars. The building is mortise and tenon construction and the floor joists are oak, with bark remaining on the bottom side.
Locally sourced bricks are porous, providing insulating properties, and the plaster walls contain fine hair as a binder, thought to be human hair.
The large brick fireplace was used for cooking, while the wall is paneled and includes a cupboard. A winding staircase ascends to the second floor, where the bedrooms and a second fireplace are located.
Upstairs, three young women — Annaliese Kettler, 12, Eva Kettler, 15, and Elizabeth Louis, 15 — were acting as docents, explaining the history and structure of the home.
“We’re training young girls to hopefully take our place when we graduate,” Louis said, noting Annaliese Kettler was one of the junior docents.
Louis said she lives nearby and was attracted to the home’s history.
“When I first moved here, there were lines of cars outside my house and I was like, what’s going on down there? And then I came for the first time and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it,” Louis said.
Eva Kettler said her mother was a history teacher and she has enjoys learning about the past.
Outside, Linda & Ollie were playing live music in the barn as participants browsed at non-profit, craft and food vendors.
Cecelia Quigley and Tammy Tozer were selling honey and providing information on the New Jersey Beekeepers Association.
Sharon Pinkerton of Blueberry Hill Farm in Pittsgrove Township was selling homemade jams, jellies, fruit and fused vinaigrettes “all homemade in my little kitchen.”
She grows blueberries, blackberries and rhubarb and buys local strawberries and other fruits for her products.
Pinkerton said it was her first time at the AppleFest, but after bringing her wares to the spring Strawberry Festival she decided to return.
“I just enjoy the people and I do well. They appreciate what I make and you know, it’s a good market for my product,” Pinkerton said.
Tammy Eissey of Philadelphia was staying at a local campground and a friend invited her to the event.
“I like supporting small vendors, small businesses,” Eissey said.
She was speaking to Manahawkin resident Jenna Gloria of Herbonology, purveyors of organic CBD products.
“We have creams, drops. Creams are good for pain and inflammation, drops are more for anxiety, insomnia, anything more systemic like that,” Gloria said.
She said she was selling products but mostly there to spread awareness.
“We travel to events such as this, craft fairs, vendor fairs, all around southern New Jersey,” Gloria said. “We’ve focused primarily on education.”
There were demonstrations by traditional craft artisans, such as Jody Clark of Belleplain who was working the spinning wheel.
An Apple Pie Baking Contest with junior and senior divisions was judged by chef Tyson Merryman of the Tuckahoe Inn, Nick Karayiannis of Dino’s Seaville Diner and Deb Patterson of the Frog Hollow Bakery. Prizes and ribbons were awarded to the selected winners and then complimentary samples of all the entry pies were served to the festival attendees.
The event always features a selection of fresh New Jersey apples for sale, along with a wide range of refreshments at the Apple Bake Shoppe including apple tarts with ice cream.
The HPSUT operates and manages three historic sites that are open to the public: the Gandy House and Farmstead, ca. 1815; the Tuckahoe Train Station, 1894; and the Friendship School in Palermo, ca. 1830.
– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff