Young Johnny Appleseed

While traveling west on Route 2 through central Massachusetts, I made a stop at the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center in Lancaster. Greeting visitors outside the entrance is this bronze sculpture of a young John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, one of America’s most enduring folk heroes.

Although the visitor center is in Lancaster, it celebrates the life of John Chapman, who was born just a few miles away in Leominster in 1774. Chapman became famous for establishing apple nurseries across the American frontier, helping settlers plant orchards that provided both food and a means of establishing new communities. Over time, his generosity and simple way of life transformed him from a successful nurseryman into one of America’s best-loved legends.

I enjoyed learning that the sculpture portrays Chapman as a young boy, reminding visitors that every legendary figure begins with an ordinary childhood. It is a fitting welcome to a region that proudly preserves the story of one of its most famous native sons.  History can be found all around us, if we simply take the time to stop.