History

By the 1930s, UConn had a substantial fruit orchard, at the location of Gampel Pavilion, which was used by faculty members to carry out research and educate students. In the 1950s, the fruit orchard moved from the main campus to an off-site location, Cold Spring Orchard, in Mansfield to allow for the growth of the main campus.

This was the most expansive orchard ever in UConn’s history with apples, peaches, and smaller fruit like strawberries and raspberries. The Cold Spring Orchard was home to multiple research projects and was an educational site for apple growing. In 1963, the Cold Spring Orchards started being used as a commercial fruit orchard. Products grown were sold on the UConn campus. Many community members remember going to UConn to purchase fruit in the historic building next to the UConn Bookstore.

From the 1960s to the late 1990s, faculty and staff in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture facilitated the orchard's progress. But in the year 2000, the commercial model had to be abandoned. The Cold Spring Orchards were shut down and the fruit trees were removed, reverting the land to corn and hay production for the university’s livestock units.

• 1881 - Storrs Agricultural College founded
• 1930s - Fruit Orchard thriving at current Gampel Pavilion site
• 1950s - Cold Spring Orchard is established on Route 195 in Mansfield
• 1963 - Commercial fruit sales begin using fruit from the Cold Spring Orchard
• 2000 - Cold Spring Orchard is closed
• 2023 - UConn Fruit Orchard re-establishment begins
• 2024 - First fruit trees and bushes will be planted in the spring