If you were unaware that in a section of forest in Ashland, Ohio there was a Heritage Center Site for Johnny Appleseed, you wouldn’t be alone. Unfortunately, as it didn’t go well with the public, the site only lasted for two seasons before it was shut down, and it has sat abandoned since. There have since been hopes to bring it back and continue to make use of the space, but all have fallen through for one reason or another.

The outdoor amphitheater features 1,700 seats, and a covered upper level with enough space to fit approximately 12 picnic tables, still leaving enough space open for activities. They had hoped to use the amphitheater not only for outdoor plays, but summer weddings, receptions and outdoor company get-togethers. Unfortunately, these attempts at reuse of the space also slowly faded, as there had been little to no interest in any of it. 

The Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center Inc. came together and formed their board in 1996. After five years, the decision was made to lease 45 acres of land from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, with plans to open an outdoor amphitheater in honor of the legend of Johnny Appleseed.

Nearly $4 million dollars had been spent on the facility in 2001, and construction on the entire center had begun. Construction of the amphitheater and indoor auditorium was completed in 2003, and it would open the following year. 

Finally opened in 2004 as the Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center, they had hoped the center would attract around 65,000 visitors per year to watch an outdoor play about the life of Johnny Appleseed. The play told stories through song and dance of John “Appleseed” Chapman’s life, legacy and his journey as he planted apple trees throughout the area, while interacting with early Ohio settlers and Native Americans.

Of course, aside from the very low interest in seeing this one repeated performance every year, there were some other problems with this outdoor theater, such as a lack of dressing rooms, and no official stage. During the Johnny Appleseed plays, they had made use of an earthen stage, but this would not work for other performances. 

The amphitheatre operated only between the dates of June 18th – August 27th, which probably didn’t help them see any return on their investment. Unfortunately, due to low attendance and little profit, the amphitheatre was closed in 2005. It seemed that the community had little to no interest in a repeated yearly play about the life of Johnny Appleseed. Now, that’s not to say that the life of Johnny Appleseed wasn’t an interesting one, but many other factors play a part here, including the amphitheater’s location.

Being situated where it is, it’s easy to see that people wouldn’t be rushing from other ends of Ohio, or other states just to see this same play every year.

In 2017, the title for the property was transferred from The Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center to the conservancy district. They’re still hoping to bring some life back into the abandoned property, but all ideas have since faded. 

The amphitheatre now sits quiet, collecting rust, slowly becoming more worn by the elements and the passing of time. Aside from the 1,700 seats, the design of this amphitheater features galvanized steel apple plaques, and two lighting towers on either side, which were used to light performances.

Unfortunately, someone took Johnny Appleseed’s head from the small stone statue at the front entrance. I hope they at the very least threw a pot on top of it and are proudly displaying it in their guest room or living room.

So who was Johnny Appleseed? Well, since you can no longer go to this amphitheatre to learn about his life through song and dance, I guess we’ll have to go over that here.

Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman on September 26, 1774 to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Chapman. His birthplace in Leominster, Massachusetts has a granite marker, and the street is called Johnny Appleseed Lane.

Chapman was only two years old when his mother died while giving birth to a second son, Nathaniel Jr., who also died just a few days later. His father had later remarried to Lucy Cooley, and had a son with her, also named Nathaniel.

In 1792, at the age of 18, John and his then 11-year-old brother Nathaniel headed west to live a nomadic lifestyle. For a short bit of time in 1794, during the time of the Whiskey Rebellion, it has been said that they were seen living in the Pittsburgh area, on Grant’s Hill. The two had eventually ended up in Ohio, and were met not long after by their father who had decided to travel west in 1805. Upon his arrival, John had decided to part ways, but his younger brother stayed to help their father farm the land. Not long after leaving, John started an apprenticeship under Mr. Crawford as an orchardist on his many apple orchards. Having found his calling, he had become obsessed. 

Over years, Chapman grew to become an American pioneer nurseryman who is known historically as being largely responsible for introducing apple trees to large areas of Pennsylvania,Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Ontario, and even small slivers in the northern areas of West Virginia. He was an incredibly kind and generous man, with strong leadership in conservation. He was loved by many all around, and had become an American legend while still living. Aside from introducing apples to so many areas, he also tied a symbolic importance to the apple, further earning him his fitting nickname. There have been many things built or named in his honor, such as the Johnny Appleseed Museum in Urbana, Ohio, or the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a minor league baseball team in Fort Wayne, Indiana, named after the tin pot Chapman was known for wearing on his head. 

Wherever Johnny roamed, he would plant nurseries, build fences to protect them from livestock, and then leave them to be cared for by a neighbor. He would return to personally tend to them every year or two. The first nursery he had planted was located south of  Warren, Pennsylvania on the bank of Broken Straw Creek. He continued to move around, planting trees throughout Venango County, along the shore of French Creek. Though his travels took him many places, he had planted most of his nurseries in the Mohican River area in north-central Ohio. He planted trees throughout the towns of Mansfield, Lisbon, Lucas, Perrysville and Loudonville. 

In 1819, Johnny Appleseed almost met an untimely end while working at one of his nurseries in Ohio. While tending to a tree, gathering hops, he slipped, falling into the forked branches of the tree. On his way down, his neck was caught, squeezed between the branches. As he struggled, one of his helpers, 8-year-old John White rushed over and attempted to get him unstuck. Unable to free him, White acted quickly and decided to chop the tree down, ultimately saving Chapman’s life.

Johnny Appleseed cared deeply for nature and animals, and was said to have been good friends with the Native Americans. Many Native Americans admired Chapman, and had regarded him as someone who was touched by the Great Spirit.

Chapman was strong in religious faith, preaching the gospel wherever he had traveled.

The pot he carried on his head served as both a hat, and pot for cooking. One story from 1830 tells of a time he sat next to his campfire in the forest, and took notice that the mosquitos flying into the flames were killed. He filled the pot with water, and extinguished the fire, stating “God forbid that I should build a fire for my comfort, that should be the means of destroying any of his creatures.” 

Among the numerous other stories told of his life, it was said that he had a pet wolf that followed him around after he had healed its injured leg.

In his later life, Chapman had become a vegetarian. He never married, due to his belief that he would find his true soulmate in heaven if not while alive on Earth.

Johnny Appleseed died at the age of 70 on March 18, 1845. His obituary states: 

“In the most inclement weather he might be seen barefooted and almost naked except when he chanced to pick up articles of old clothing. Notwithstanding the privations and exposure he endured, he lived to an extreme old age, not less than 80 [70] years at the time of his death—though no person would have judged from his appearance that he was 60.” 

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