Thursday, May 23, 7:00 pm
Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland

Images of Johnny Appleseed: Saint or Buffoon? 
Speaker: Author Russell Powell

John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, is among America’s most
widely misunderstood folk heroes. Chapman (1774-1845) is widely credited
with spreading the apple gene in America. But while schoolchildren
everywhere learn some variation of Appleseed's story, it is usually
inflated by myth. Author Russell Steven Powell ("America's Apple," Brook
Hollow Press, 2012) will separate fact from fiction in describing
Chapman’s peripatetic life and legacy, and show how many of the depictions
of Chapman through the years reflect the values of the people portraying
him rather than the man. Like Chapman, Powell is a Massachusetts native
who has devoted much of his career to spreading the word about apples,
most of that time as executive director of the New England Apple
Association.