Honored West Virginian: John M. Miller III

For generations, the Miller family has been part of the story of commercial orcharding in our region. That legacy began with W.S. Miller, continued through his son John M. Miller — the “Apple King” — and ultimately passed to his grandson, John M. Miller III, this year’s Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival Honored West Virginian.

That family history makes this year’s recognition especially fitting. With our 2026 theme, “From Our Orchards to Your Family — An All-American Celebration,” coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary, the Miller family story connects our region’s agricultural heritage with the story of our nation.

And it all began with a remarkable decision in 1876.

After W.S. Miller’s five eldest sons finished selling a lucrative apple crop in the fall of 1875, he rewarded each with enough money for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, celebrating America’s 100th anniversary.

His second eldest son, John McKown Miller, chose instead to invest that money in 46 acres adjoining his father’s property in Gerrardstown. He planted an orchard using York Imperial and Ben Davis rootstock from his father’s farm, establishing the John M. Miller Orchard Company and laying the foundation for a remarkable family legacy.

From “Peach Billy” to the “Apple King”

W.S. Miller is known as the father of commercial orchardism, having established the region’s first commercial fruit orchard. He grew apples, peaches, plums, quinces and other fruits and earned the nickname “Peach Billy” for his particular fondness for peaches.

His son John took the family business in a new direction.

His orchard was devoted exclusively to apples, helping establish the fruit as the premier crop of the region. Over the following decades, the orchard grew to more than 1,000 acres, and by 1915, the John M. Miller Orchard Company was the largest producer of apples in the Eastern Fruit Belt.

John’s success earned him the name by which he would become known: the “Apple King.”

Carrying the Legacy Forward

After John M. Miller’s death in 1937, his two sons continued the family business. His son, John M. Miller Jr., shared his father’s passion for orcharding, developing a specialty in Golden Delicious. In 1969, his York Imperial trees produced 65 to 70 bushels per tree, setting a new record.

John M. Miller Jr. and his wife, Madge Sherrard, had two children, Sarah and John M. Miller III.

Following his father’s untimely death in 1973, John M. Miller III became the owner and manager of the family orchard.

For the next 31 years, he continued the family tradition with the help of longtime foreman John Faircloth. Like the generations before him, John brought his own skills to the business, including a particular talent for bench grafting.

During his tenure, he replaced many of the orchard’s earlier varieties with Ida Red, Winesap and Rome apples and sold the harvest to White House Foods in Winchester, Virginia.

In 2004, John made the difficult decision to retire the orchard business as outside competition and other challenges contributed to the decline of orchards throughout the region.

The land, however, remained.

Still under John’s ownership, the property is protected through Farmland Protection and remains a fruit-bearing orchard today. It is currently leased to Robert Taylor, who keeps the historic land expertly tended.

More Than an Orchard

John M. Miller III is the father of three children — Caroline Miller McIntosh, Elizabeth McConnell Tabb and John M. Miller IV — and the proud grandfather of six grandchildren.

For his family, the orchard was more than a business. It was home, heritage and a place where generations grew up surrounded by the land their family had worked for more than a century.

His daughter, Elizabeth McConnell Tabb, reflects:

“I will always remember the smell of apples during harvest season and the benefits of having an orchard as an extended playground. Most of all, I thank God that my great-grandfather skipped the exposition and bought an orchard instead!”

Those words capture the remarkable arc of the Miller family story.

In 1876, one generation made a decision that helped shape the agricultural heritage of our region. One hundred and fifty years later, that legacy remains in the land, in the family, and in the stories we continue to tell.

As we celebrate the 47th year of our festival alongside America’s 250th anniversary, we are proud to honor John M. Miller III — a West Virginian whose family helped put apples on the map and whose life represents generations of dedication to the land.

The Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival proudly recognizes John M. Miller III as our 2026 Honored West Virginian.