This fall will mark the fourth apple season for Calvin Rodman and Emily Melchior. They purchased the former Riiska Brook Orchard in 2002 with a goal of maintaining the 150-acre pre-Revolutionary War farm as an apple orchard and local gathering place.

Aware of the farm's local significance, Calvin and Emily have committed to upgrading the orchard's facilities to give the farm a viable future.

Emily told The Times, "We are grateful for the extraordinary support we've received as we've worked on this project. The orchard is such a special place, and we want it to continue to be welcoming for friends and neighbors."

Over the past three years, Calvin and Emily have renovated the 1930s house and updated the kitchen to make homemade cider donuts. They have also planted close to 500 new trees, including pears and peaches, Calvin said.

Their apple varieties include standards such as Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious, but also terrific antique varieties like Cox'sA Orange Pippen, NovaSpy, Otterson, Winesap, and Redfield.

Recently, as these changes have taken shape, it became clear that the name of the orchard should also change to reflect the new phase in its history.

The farm has had many names and identities over the past 250 years, beginning with the Joseph French family for about its first 50 years. Turner Fargo took over in 1828 for another fifty, followed by others. An early map found by Calvin and Emily referred to the place as Pond Hill. In 1913 a branch of the Riiska family bought the property, joining it to existing family holdings. For a time, the Riiska family called the place Corn Hill Farm. In about 1990 the Riiskas transitioned the farm to operating as an orchard and named it Riiska Brook Orchard.

Calvin explained that at this point in the life of the venerable farm it seemed suitable to adopt yet a new name for the business, given the new ownership along with the upgrades accomplished so far and his and Emily's plans for more upgrades to come.

"Although we considered names based on customs such as family names, or local geography," he said, "we decided that the new name should be both unique and practical, especially to help people from a wider area to find us."

They chose "Sandisfield Orchard."

Emily said, "It helps that there is only one Sandisfield, so we should be easy to find."

In addition to practical reasons, the new name also recognizes the community which has been "kind and supportive" to the couple since they first moved to Sandisfield in 2014.

"We love it when people share their memories of the orchard," Emily added. "We hope that what we are doing, and the exciting new offerings, will ensure that the orchard continues as a place where new memories are made for years to come."