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West Virginia's commercial fruit industry began in the Northern Panhandle and Ohio Valley, where apple trees—possibly first planted by Johnny Appleseed—spread through the region. By the early 1800s, apples were being shipped down the Ohio River, but the Civil War disrupted trade and slowed production. Meanwhile, the Eastern Panhandle developed its own fruit industry. William S. Miller, a key figure in this growth, started a large orchard near Gerrardstown in 1851, which became a major producer of apples and peaches by the war’s end.
