[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BROWN FAMILY FARM IN ORLEANS COUNTY, NY

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                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 1, 2004

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 200th 
anniversary of the Brown Family Farm in Waterport, NY, now know as 
Orchard Dale Fruit Farms and Brown's Berry Patch. The survival of this 
family farm over two centuries is a remarkable store of passion and 
hard work.
  In 1804, Elijah and Bathshua Brown bought a 100-acre farm along the 
Oak Orchard River, just south of Lake Ontario, in what is now 
Waterport, NY. While moving his family to their new home, Elijah died, 
and Bathshua was left to settle her five sons and seven daughters in 
the unbroken wilderness of Upstate New York. Elijah Jr., planted the 
first apple trees in the county, and thus the Brown Family Farm began.
  Bathshua began to build what would become one of the most historic 
and celebrated farms in Upstate New York. Years before, during the 
Revolutionary War, the British pillaged and burned the Browns' first 
farm on Fisher Island, CT. During the War of 1812, British war ships 
again threatened the Brown family as they patrolled the shores of Lake 
Ontario. In a remarkable coincidence, the very same captain who had 
burned the Brown's first farm was captured on the shores of Oak Orchard 
River and brought to Bathshua, the area's matriarch, for judgment. She 
let him go with a warning never to return.
  Leadership of the Brown Family Farm passed from generation to 
generation. In 1895, Brown descendants Harry and Pearl began growing 
fruit on the farm. At one point, the family was said to have the 
largest quince orchard in the world. In the 1940's, the family 
transitioned out of growing fresh fruit, and began selling apples, 
quince, cherries, pears and plums for processing. Around 1980, Robert 
Brown II and his wife Deborah again transitioned the farm back into one 
that produced fresh fruit for consumption. They planted strawberries, 
raspberries, and blueberries for people to come pick themselves.
  Today, under the leadership of Robert II and Deborah Brown, and Eric 
and Margy Brown, Brown's Berry Patch is one of the most popular 
agritourist destinations in Western New York, and a highly successful 
direct marketer of fresh produce. In 2003, the North American Farmers 
Direct Marketing Association Conference chose Brown's Berry Patch as a 
Farm Direct Marketer of the Year Finalist.
  Visitors to Brown's Berry Patch come away not only with fresh, 
nutritious produce, but with memories that will last a lifetime. In an 
age when so many family farms struggle to survive, it is gratifying to 
know that Brown's Berry Patch is thriving, continuing to provide 
Western New York with fresh fruit and a greater understanding of 
traditional American agriculture. I congratulate Brown's Berry Patch on 
their 200th anniversary, and for their dedication to promoting tourism 
and agriculture in Western New York.

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