Continuing Legacy Of Farm, Pole Barn Constructed At Styer Orchard

September 24, 2018

Photots of Middletown Township Board of Supervisors Chairperson Amy Strouse, Heritage Conservancy President Jeff Marshall, Township Manager Stephanie Teoli Kuhls, Karen and Mike Fields of Styer Orchard, Chris Stafford of Stafford Consulting, Sandra Cairnes of First National Bank and Trust Company of Newtown, and Tom Fields and Brian Melvin of Styer Orchard.
Credit: Heritage Conservancy

A new pole barn at Styer Orchard in Middletown has been completed.

The Middletown-owned farm recently opened the new barn that was paid for through the T. Walter “Pop” Styer Jr. Horticultural Fund, which was formed to pay for the upkeep of the 109-acre site when the township purchased the property from 102-year-old Styer in 1999. The fund at First National Bank and Trust Company of Newtown is administered by the not-for-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization Heritage Conservancy.

The pole barn will be used to support agricultural production by providing a safe place for harvest storage.

“A barn is often the heart of a farm,” said Jeff Marshall, the Heritage Conservancy’s president. “We were happy to work with the trustees, township and orchard manager to oversee the construction of a barn that will be able to serve as a focal point for the orchard. In past centuries, it took a community to raise a barn; this barn will hopefully help build a community of people who honor Pop’s legacy.”

The Styer family sold the farm with the conditions it remain open space and a place to educate children about farming.

Mike Fields and his family hold the contract to run the 100-year-old Styer Orchard.

“In other areas, a farm is just a farm, but Styer Orchard is different. It’s special,” Fields said. “Everyone around here really considers it ‘their’ farm and embraces it as their own. It’s truly a community treasure.”