History of Arrowhead Orchard, Paris, Ohio
“1932-present (2017)”
 

          The hillside that Arrowhead Orchard was planted on was bought by Raymond and Anna Gotter in 1932. The 40 plus acres on the east side of a hill was the perfect spot with protection from the westerly winds. The land sloped into the valley assuring the orchard never to have a total freeze. Colder temperatures would flow down the valley and away from the spring apple blossoms (air drainage) towards lower lands. The orchard never had a total loss of crop from frost because of this excellent air drainage. It took over a year for Raymond and his brothers to plant the trees by hand. A strong spring in the middle of the orchard provided a continual source of water for the farm. The orchard’s name came from the arrowheads found in the ground and around the spring when planting. Some of the earlier caretakers were the Delaware natives (American Indians).

          Raymond Gotter, born in 1898 and growing up in Louisville, Ohio, hunted and trapped in the Paris area. He worked in Canton, Ohio in a coal mining office, married and had one daughter, Doris. The stock market crash of 1929 left the country in poor financial condition and by 1932, he knew his mining job was in jeopardy. He had read about orchards from books and information from the Ohio State University Extension offices. Knowing the lay of the land in Paris, he cashed-in an insurance policy, borrowed money from the bank and bought a 40 plus acre strip of land from local farmer, Harry Starkey. Area farmers laughed at Raymond, the land was steep and full of briar bushes. How could he grow anything on that land? Doris was 8 years old when they moved to the country and lived in a neighbor’s “old mansion turned into a chicken coup” building with no electricity. Raymond and Anna bought a tractor and plowed up all the land. The tractor was quickly repossessed but the land had been plowed. Raymond’s younger brother, Basil, had been adopted and raised by a rich aunt and uncle and attended Notre Dame University in Indiana for two years. He knew how to survey the land. Straight rows of trees were planted by several of the Gotter brothers who, by this time in the recession, had no jobs. Raymond was without work for three years. He built a basement and one story, tile home on the property, only later to be able to cover it with brick. In 1940, two more rooms, indoor bathroom and attic completed their home.

          The water supply for the orchard was a strong spring and Raymond harnessed its resource by installing a 10,000 gallon water tank downhill from the spring. It had to be placed at exactly the right level so that water, being filled by gravity, stopped at the top of the tank. In 1934, the orchard barn was first disassembled from 12 miles away and then reconstructed in its current location. They had two horses, one cow and chickens. It took apple trees 4-5 years to come into good production. Peach trees grew a crop much sooner and were planted in the rows of apple trees. Hay was planted between the rows. Cherry trees, raspberry bushes, chickens, eggs, butchering pigs and a garden kept the family going. They took quarts of raspberries to Canton and almost begged establishments to buy them for 25 cents. Raymond then got a job in 1935 at Canton Drop Forge. In town, he sold his produce. There he worked until 1945. Dry-brush washers and chain grader equipment were installed in the barn by the end of the 1930’s. In the orchard flat wagons were filled with bushel baskets of apples, later crates, and brought to the Applehouse (barn) by horses. In 1938, a Caterpillar track-tractor was bought to more easily move wagons and water-filled sprayers up and down the steep orchard hills. In 1948, the first cold storage room, 7,000-bushel capacity, was built. Refrigeration temperatures were kept at 32-33 degrees Fahrenheit, just till ice formed on the cement floor. The apples were watered-down daily to keep high humidity in the storage room. This kept apples crisp and prevented wrinkling. Apples were stored from August to June. At that time, 15 to 20 seasonal employees worked to pick the orchard fruit, bring in the crop and keep the trees winter pruned and in production. In 1959, another 6,000-bushel cold storage room was added.