Soons Orchards

Around 1910, William Soons, an electrical engineer living and working in New York City, decided to move north and try his hand at dairy farming. Always being a student of horticulture from his youth in England, William was soon planting trees everywhere - hardwoods, plus apple, pear and peach trees. And Orchard Hill Farm was born. One of his sons, Sinclair, (1896-1984) became the next farming Soons, as he expanded wholesale apple sales and the dairy. Sinclair married Helen (1902-1996), also a New York City transplant, a school teacher who grew up in a family store setting. Their youngest of four, Arthur, completed college at Princeton University and army service before settling down with Sandra, a Nebraska native and Vassar graduate. Since 1959, Art and Sandy, circa 1960 have worked to make Soons what it is today, along the way re-named to Soons Orchards easier sign-making was the motivation!