Wynn MedingerA New England Tradition of Apple Cider Goes Back in Time
An autumn tradition around much of America is harvesting apples and making cider, and somehow doing it the “old way” makes it taste even sweeter.
Near Woodstock, Vt., the Fields family bought a beautiful 233-acre Vermont horse farm called Ogden Mill which just happened to include a derelict water-powered mill and cider press. After the family renovated the 1790-era house which had served as a tavern and inn, Thatcher Fields turned his attention to restoring and bringing the old mill back to life.
See the video of 2021’s pressing by Jeff Arnold:
A visit to the mill
Jeff Arnold tells us about his visit, “On a sunny Sunday in October, we visited the Field’s family’s Ogden Cider Mill in action. The water wheel and the equipment that run the belts to grind and press the apples and pump the juices from the lower vat to the upper ones were originally constructed in Hartland in 1916. Herbert Gouverneur Ogden, a graduate of Williams College, purchased the mill in 1945 and moved it to his house on Lull’s Brook in Hartland, Vermont, in the early 1950s. Herb served four terms as a state senator from 1970-80 and was responsible for organizing the cutting of the three main trails up nearby Mt. Ascutney.
“In the 1970s, you could pay Herb 25 cents a gallon to press your apples. After Thatcher Fields restored the mill, he began to invite locals to bring their apples and press them. The pressing has grown to a popular annual event in Autumn. The grinder, on the first floor, is powered by water that comes through a 36-inch-wide penstock or canal from a holding pond that is 10 feet higher in elevation than the wheel.
“The steel wheel is 13 feet in diameter, 6 feet wide and holds 1.5 tons of water. As you can see in the video, it is an intense experience to be standing under the wide belts racing overhead. The racks of apples are raised against the press and the cider pours through a metal screen into a big vat and is then pumped upstairs to other storage vats on the floor above, where you can fill up your gallon containers. It was an amazing experience!”
Jeff Arnold runs Aurora Daycare Center with his wife in Wilder, Vermont, and previously ran projects to assist the Afghan people in agriculture, resettlement, sanitation, and water supply.
See a photo gallery below.
Thatcher (left) and Jamie Fields inspect apples as they arrive. 
On a sunny October day, apples are delivered. 
Jamie’s father, James Maerder stops by to watch and help. 
Neighbor Roy Coley helps with the once-a-year event. 
Thatcher Fields has restored the water-powered cider mill and begun annual pressings. 
It is powered by a 12-foot diameter waterwheel and was a grist mill as well as a cider press. 
Much of the mill is exactly as it was 60 years ago. 
More apples arrive from the Fields’ neighbors. 
The rules offered loopholes. 
Apples arrive all afternoon. 
The Fields have just completed remodeling the 1790 house that was originally a tavern and inn for travelers. 
Water is delivered to the wheel from a pond that is at an elevation 10 feet higher than the top of the waterwheel, supplying the pressure to get the water above the wheel. 
Local farmers brought their apples to be weighed before pressing. 
Visitors blend with the Early-American feeling of the mill. 
It’s a peak-foliage weekend in Vermont. 
A neighborhood Corgi helps as well. 
Virtually all the roads are dirt in this area of Vermont. 
A tradition is offering visitors some juicy venison to go with their cider. 
The old Ford pickup has an unusual floor shifter. 
Apples are sorted and loaded into a trough to the press. 
The end result of a hard day’s work. 
The 233-acre farm has horses, chickens, and guinea fowl. 
Jamie and Autumn. 
The wheel holds approximately one and a half tons of water. 
Original owner Herb Ogden used to commute to the mill, which was several miles away by horse and buggy. In 1956 he decided to move it to his property. 
Daughter, Emily Fields comforts the Pug after his cider-tasting experience. 
Jamie Fields offers some fresh cider to the family Pug. 
The remains after the sweet juice has been removed. 
The family dog, Harry, looks on. 
The press, which produced 27,000 gallons a year between the 1940s and the 1980s. 
The mill offered various types of cider. 
Herb Ogden apparently had a New England sense of humor.