Raintree Arts Council

Raintree Arts Council is the proud owner of the Apple Shed, located on Highway 79 at the south edge of Clarksville. The facility was a generous gift from Louis Mallin and his son Robert Mallin.

The Apple Shed, formerly owned by the late William B Weakley, was a center of commerce in Clarksville, MO. For many years it thrived by packing, shipping and selling apples to passers-by during the September-October season. In the late 1920's. Weakley, Eugene Pettus, Dr. Malvern Clopton and Mrs Edward S. Robert formed the Pike County Producers and began their apple packing business on the upper floor of the old Imperial Mill building. The farms which belonged to the association were Falicon, Overlook, Applehill, Brookhill,Oakland, Kissenger, Shepley and Mallinckrodt.

When the operation grew and expansion was imminent, the group relocated to the Apple Shed location between the Burlington Railroad and Highway 79 and built the main portion of the building, using lumber and beams salvaged from the mill and a grain elevator which had formerly occupied the site. This section spans an area approximately 180 feet by 100 feet. Later additions to the building consisted of three new metal buildings, one of which was an insulated cooling room, augmenting the total size to about 350 feet by 130 feet. The cooling room now serves as our theatre.

The apple industry in Pike County began with the early settlers to the Clarksville-Louisiana area and grew to have significant economical impact upon the community. Many orchards dotted the countryside around Clarksville where the loess soil, well-suited for fruit growing, allowed the tree roots to expand and grow.

In the late 1890's, the orchards produced so many apples that a vinegar factory was built in Clarksville to take care of the surplus. Harry Carrell's orchard was used for experimentation by the University of Missouri and Stark Brothers' Nurseries and Orchards produced the world's first Golden Delicious apples. Orcharding became big business when John Cannon came to supervise the Dameron-Weakley orchards. Cannon introduced new methods of caring for trees, encouraged the practice of regularly spraying the trees and made other innovations greatly improving the quality and quantity of the product. In later years,

Robert Mallin joined the Pike County Producers, supplying apples from his own orchards in Illinois. His father. Louis Mallin, had a fruit business in Kansas City and bought the Apple Shed from Weakley. Mallin continued packing and shipping apples for several years until he discontinued the apple business and closed the Apple Shed in 1978.

The Mallins deeded the Apple Shed properties to the Raintree Arts Council for use as a fine arts and community center. A tremedous amount of volunteer labor helped prepare the Apple Shed for the first events. Restrooms were installed, equipment purchased and donated, electrical work was done and many hours were devoted to cleaning and sweeping.

The first music theatre presented in the Apple Shed was Jerome Kern's Show Boat. In 1982, the Apple Shed was selected by Saint Louis Opera Theatre as the appropriate venue for the presentation of it's world premier of The Beggar's Opera. Today the Apple Shed is the site of community theatre productions, art exhibits and competitions and music events including an annual jazz party.