Maple Syrup Production

Press Taylor's sugar camp in Zane Township

Charlie Prall owned and operated Maple Lakes Farm in Monroe Township

The F. N. Johnson Co. in Bellefontaine produced and sold Gold Bond Maple Syrup in the early 1900s.

Maple Syrup and apple butter labels from the J. M. Abraham Co. in Bellefontaine

Eloise Green, classmates, and their teacher, Lealand Lease, at a maple sugar camp

Patent drawing for Henry H. Reymer's sugar bucket lid from February 24, 1891

Patent information for Henry H. Reymer's sugar bucket lid

Sap or sugar water dripping into a bucket at Maple Lakes Farm. Two spiles are being used

Unlabeled bottles that were used for maple syrup. From the History Center collection

Maple sugar water buckets and strainer. From the History Center collection

Maple sugar molds from the J. S. Inskeep farm near Middleburg

Maple syrup can from the Tom and Wendell Connolly farm in Zane Township

Charlie Prall tapping a maple tree by drilling a hole, inserting a spile and hanging a bucket

Charlie Prall's maple sugar shed in Monroe Township

Charlie Prall checking the density of the syrup with a hydrometer

Gathering sugar water at Maple Lakes Farm

Maple Lakes Farm maple syrup containers. From the History Center collection

Maple syrup production is one of Logan County’s oldest industries. In the latter part of the 1800s, many Logan County farms had groves of sugar maple trees. During the months between January and late March, they gathered sap from the trees and boiled it into either maple sugar or maple syrup. It takes an average of around forty gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. The amount of sap needed depends on the sugar content which can be influenced by various factors including weather, water availability and the time of year.

The Logan County Index reported on February 19, 1891, “Henry H. Reymer of Bellefontaine made a thorough test of his sugar bucket lid during the stormy weather of the past week and finds it to be a perfect success. The lid prevents all rainwater from getting into the vessels.” Shortly after the article was published, Reymer was granted a patent for his sugar bucket lid.

Logan County’s maple sugar and syrup took a first gold medal at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

In the late 1890s, Farmers sold their syrup for 70 to 75 cents a gallon and maple sugar for 9 to 10 cents a pound. The size of the sugar orchard was determined by the number of vessels placed on the maple trees. Some of the larger camps in Zane and Perry Townships were the Blackburn farm, which had 8,000 vessels, Richard Painter, John R. Wilson and John Haines each had 6,000 vessels, and John Outland, J. H. Johnson, Green Bros., Sherman Roberts and Ben Louden with 4,000 vessels at each of their camps. Other leaders at that time were L. P. Taylor, Ben Wirick, Alf Sidesinger, Justus Wirick, and Wesley Haines.

The F. N. Johnson Co. of Bellefontaine sold Maple Syrup commercially. Fletcher N. Johnson and James M. Abraham founded the wholesale grocery and maple syrup company in 1900. Both men had been successful producing and selling maple syrup prior their partnership. They produced Gold Bond Maple Syrup and shipped it all over the United States.

Gen. Robert P. Kennedy reported in his Historical Review of Logan County in 1903 that Logan County was fifth in the state for maple sugar production. There were 103,115 maple trees in the county which produced 63,650 pounds of sugar and 33,511 gallons of syrup.

In January 1909, Abraham sold his stock in the F.N. Johnson grocery Co. and began business as the J.M. Abraham Co. producing maple syrup and apple butter. Abraham’s two main maple syrup brands were Ohio Chief and Snow Bound. They also manufactured a blend called Old Home. During the season they had numerous salesmen on the road selling thousands of gallons of maple syrup. The F. N. Johnson Co. continued to be a wholesale grocery dealer and was acquired by Super Foods Inc. in 1958.

According to the Zane Township Story published in 1976, “The sugar making business flourished during the 1920 and 1930s, using the old iron kettle furnaces with around thirty camps being in operation. During the late 1930s, the evaporator method came into use and many camps converted to fuel oil furnaces due to the declining wood supply. About this time, the number of camps started to decline and by the 1940s, only a few were left.”

In May 1964, the Abraham family sold the J.M. Abraham Co to the American Maple Products Corp. from Newport, Vermont. They purchased all the assets including the trademarks, labels, molds for maple sugar patties and equipment used to produce maple products. After the J.M. Abraham business was sold, Robert Abraham, grandson of J.M. Abraham, continued to get maple syrup from the buyer and deliver it to family, friends and former clients.

Charlie A. Prall began working on his grandfather, Charles C. Prall’s sugar camp in Monroe Township in 1942 when he was twelve years old. Prall’s Maple Lake Farm was in business until 1998 and averaged five hundred gallons of quality maple syrup per season. The sugar camp is now owned by Ron and Cindy Downs and is known as Maple Lane Farm.

Jeff Boyd’s Maple Syrup is also produced and sold in Monroe Township. There are several other farms in Logan County that produce maple syrup either for sale or private use.

The Thomas Connolly family produced maple syrup in Zane Township for many years. The fifth generation is now producing maple syrup in Cable, Ohio.