Our History
The History of Hedgeapple Farm
Hedgeapple Farm lies on what was, in the early 1700s, a large tract of land granted in 1731 by the English Crown to Meredith Davis who named his new estate “Good Luck.” His son, Ignatius Davis, inherited this land and re-named his estate “Mount Hope,” constructing a brick manor house along the road, surrounded by more than 500 acres of land. Added onto over the centuries, this grand, Colonial era manor house still stands at the front of Hedgeapple farm, and it served as the nucleus around which grew the present village of Buckeystown, named after John Buckey who was the owner of the town’s tavern. Over the course of its history, Mount Hope/Hedgeapple Farm and Buckeystown have witnessed key events and figures from the American War of Independence and from the War Between the States. Generals from both the South and North passed through the town and bivouacked in its environs. The Battle of the Monocacy took place just a few miles north of the town, and residents of Mount Hope and of the town were reportedly able to watch the fighting from their rooftops. Residents hosted Confederate and Union officers according to their sympathies.
The present Hedgeapple Farm was purchased by Roy Jorgensen in 1956 who named it after the abundance of Hedgeapple Trees that grace the farm. Also known as the Osage Orange, the Hedgeapple tree is a dense and thorny tree, and they were once frequently planted by agriculturalists as hedgerows since they served to corral and separate livestock, reducing the need for man-made fences. Since the 1990s, the farm placed all of its land into pasture and forest, restored hedgerows, and focused its efforts on producing quality Angus beef cattle through superior genetics and sustainable, regenerative grazing practices.
Out of an interest in selling beef directly to the consumer in the early 2000s, Hedgeapple Farm needed a building to serve as its retail outlet. In keeping with the historic nature of the farm and the surrounding area, the farm purchased a ca. 1790 log tavern structure that was slated for demolition in neighboring Washington County, Maryland. Each of the individual, hand-hewn logs and other key members of the structure were labeled and carefully dismantled prior to being relocated to Buckeystown. The structure was painstakingly reassembled near the roadside complete with a new stone foundation and masonry chimney. The interior exhibits the original pine flooring as well as oak and chestnut beams that contribute to the building’s unique beauty and historic interest.