Orchard to Press: The Legacy of Cider Production at The Mill at Anselma

Only nine years after first landing at Plymouth in 1620, European colonists planted apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In Colonial America, cider was one of the most common beverages, and even children drank it in a diluted form. Often, the water was not safe to drink, and most homesteads had an apple orchard as well as a press or mill. Pressing and fermenting fresh apple juice was the easiest way to preserve the large fruit harvest, and in rural communities, taxes, wages, and tithes were often paid in cider.

Evidence of cider production at The Mill is hard to date precisely; however, it is known without a doubt that cider was being produced at commercial levels as far back as 1886, and possibly quite a bit earlier. Interviews with Horace Collins, son of the final active miller at Anselma, reveal that he often spoke with Allen Simmers, the man who Horace's father purchased the Mill from in 1919. According to Horace, Allen often spoke of a horse-drawn cider press in use at the Mill before Simmers purchased it. This would mean that cider production could have begun as early as 1859, when the John Oberholtzer family initially purchased the Mill. However, the lack of corroboration or physical evidence makes it ultimately impossible to determine an exact timeline.

It is known, however, that by 1919, Allen Simmers had been growing older and unable to perform the necessary maintenance to keep the cider press in working order. Upon purchasing the Mill, Oliver Collins (Horace’s father) dismantled the old cider press, rebuilt the stand it had been situated in, and recommenced cider production at the Mill. Collins continued producing cider throughout Prohibition (1920-1933), which proved especially lucrative, as local farmers commonly purchased 2-3 barrels of cider to see them through the winter months. Following the end of Prohibition, the popularity of cider waned due to several factors, including the availability of cheap grain-based alcohol and the migration of people from rural areas to booming cities. This reduced local demand for cider and made its production cost unprofitable. Consequently, Mr. Collins sold the cider press after Prohibition, ending a nearly 100-year tradition of cider production at The Mill.