Honk if You Love Higley!
Welcome to the the Make Higley Historic! blogspot! Your definitive source of Higley happenings - past, present and future.
Anyone who knows Higley is aware that its boundaries and residents have been quite elusive the last 100 years. This page has been created to bring together fellow Higleans, Gilbillies, San Tan-ites, travelers and friends who all have something to say about the history of this unique place.
Higley needs your voice! If you are interested in authoring posts for this community blog, we'd love to hear from you and the site administrator will get you set up. Please feel free to email any photos you would like to share to makehigleyhistoric@gmail.com and we will add them to the page. And if you know of any older folks who may not be technologically savvy or speak only Spanish, let us know and we can arrange an interview so their stories are recorded as well.
We look forward to hearing from many and hope you all check in weekly for updates and new posts about our history and our efforts for recognition. Thank you kindly for all of your support in making Higley's historic value known!
James Macchiaroli Fruit Co.
Here's a postcard that I picked up on ebay showing the James Macchiaroli Fruit Co. - "Modern Fruit Packing Plant and Cocktail Grove" and a "Focal Point for Winter Visitors." The postmark is from Chandler and appears to be in 1962.
This building is currently being used as Sharon Fillman's State Farm office. She recently told me that people who pass through remember this place as a bar. She took it on after a furniture shop used it.
She also said that this building was attached to a refrigerated box car with space where ice blocks could be dropped in. After the annexation, the town and owner deemed it necessary to remove the rail cart. The process was arduous since the whole back wall of the property was nailed to this box car and roof of the permanent edifice was constructed over it. She assumes that the rail cart came first!
If you have any information about this building, who built it, owned it, used it - do share!
14 comments:
Sue Sossaman, one of our most coveted Friendly Higley Historians, writes in her essay "Higley: A Rural Community" this about Macchiaroli's: "In 1941, James (Jim) Macchiaroli, son of Italian immigrants and his wife Mary bought approximately 80 acres at what is now Higley Rd. and the freeway to grow citrus. Prior to this, his father and brothers had been buying fruit and citrus in the San Fernando Valley to sell at the Los Angeles Produce Market, but because there wasn't much fruit in California in the winter, were looking for other sources. Jim bought fruit and citrus in the Mesa area and trucked it to LA to sell. He established the Macchiaroli Fruit Co., continued to buy more land and bought a packing house at the Phoenix Produce Market; eventually several of his brothers moved to Arizona to run it. In addition to land in Mesa, Jim and Mary also bought land in Queen Creek and Chandler Heights to grow not only citrus but peaches, plums, nectarines, and grapes as well. They bought the 13 acres on the NE corner of Higley and Williams Field in the early 1960's for a packing house; it was felt it was better to pack the fruit and citrus locally rather than shipping it to Phoenix. At the height of the grape picking season, the Macchiaroli Fruit Co. employed approximately 300 people, making it the largest employer in the Higley area, with the exception of Williams Air Force Base. The family sold the packing house in 1980."
Sue Sossaman's essay about Higley is available at the San Tan Historical Society.
Thanks Lawrence and Anonymous - directional location of Macchiaroli's has been corrected!
I can't believe you found that postcard on Ebay! That is so cool. I am James Macchiaroli's granddaughter. He passed away several years ago, but my grandmother, Mary still lives in Gilbert. You can find his old fruit labels with Higley, AZ on them here:
http://fruitcrateart.com/210.html
Titles: Sweet & Juicy and Talk of the West
Hi my name is Barbara. My name at birth was Barbara Lea Thompson! I am a direct decendent of William and George Thompson the original Thompson Seedless grape farmers, who have been credited with the grapes name. There is an Historical landmark close to the Sutter Buttes, Sutter County on a hwy just near their old homestead that was placed there in their honor. I once saw a fruit label as a child in a local (Firebaugh) market that read Barbara Lee "Thompson Seedless" Grapes and always wanted one of the labels for myself. I looked the label up today and found one...not totally what I remembered as a child but none-the-less a Barbara Lee Thompson Seedless grape crate label and plan to order one soon.
Hi BARBARA LEA THOMPSON,
That is my fathers label, James Macchiaroli.
Barbara Lee was my grandmother. Did you ever get the label? We have quite a few of them so if you want one let me know. I love Higley, and all the memories there.
Jeri Wam (Macchiaroli)
I would love to have anything with James Macchiaroli Fruit Co. on it to go with the fruit knife labeled James Macchiaroli Fruit Co. Knife brand is Schrade Walden N.Y. U.S.A. Wonda-Edge Patent #2.825.968. Found knife at Estate Sale in Dallas, Tx.
Thank You Very Much,
Dennis Rowan
I have on knife ....2.825. 968 patent.
If you want to buy it texst me. Serlip@yahoo.com
I have this wooden crate that says this company on it and can't find anything online about it. Can you help?
Any interest In a wooden fruit crate box ? I bought it at an antique shop years ago and before I give it away ... maybe your Intrested In having it ?
Annemarie
I have a fruit crate with this name on it , if you would like it.
If you still have this crate I would like it! My mother in law’s name is Barbara Lee and I found a label with the Barbara Lee grapes on it and it tickled her. Would love to gift her the crate.
If you still have this crate I would like it! My mother in law’s name is Barbara Lee and I found a label with the Barbara Lee grapes on it and it tickled her. Would love to gift her the crate.
I have a fruit crate with the name on it. I got it from my father in law who was a deputy sheriff that patrolled the East valley in the 60s and knew everyone from 48th and broadway to the south county line by scneppf farm
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