It’s no secret that New York is known for its apples. It’s the second largest apple-producing state in the country, right behind Washington.

“So Hicks Orchard, it started as a you-pick orchard in 1905, and it's the oldest you-pick in New York State,” says Dave Garvoille, business development manager for Hicks Orchard.

The apple trees tell a story, one that’s not in the history books.

Hicks Orchard is more than 115 years old, and sitting on the property is an abandoned schoolhouse. It was built by the community of Granville in the early 20th century.

“We still have customers here who tell us stories about going to this schoolhouse,” says Dan Wilson, owner of Hicks Orchard.

Garvoille and Wilson decided to take on the job of renovating the building. The project isn’t only about preserving the past. It’s about creating for the future.

“This history is a living history, too, so the more we can bring people into the schoolhouse to do things, they become part of the history,” Wilson said.

The building sits on their property, but serves no essential function for the orchard. They don’t have the money in their budget to repair it alone, so they’re reaching out to the community for help.

“This schoolhouse was built by the community. It's probably, you know, all of the families in the early 1900s got together and built this schoolhouse for their kids, so here we are in 2021, and I’m appealing to the community to come together, once again, to save this building,” Garvoille said.

There’s a GoFundMe for the project and a spaghetti dinner fundraiser scheduled for May 28.