The L.J. Smith Farmhouse, circa 1860, stands as a tribute to the 19th century farming community of East Brunswick. George Smith and his son, Lawrence J. Smith, lived here and were renowned as “Apple Kings” and “Master Farmers” for having the largest apple orchard in New Jersey. Their property had some 4,500 trees yielding as many as 35,000 bushels of apples per year. In 1912, George Smith was one of the first farmers in New Jersey to preserve his apples by holding them in cold storage. Lawrence developed a successful way to keep soil from eroding, which allowed him to grow healthier, stronger apple trees and better apples. The innovative and far-sighted techniques of the Smiths were used by many other farmers and led to the betterment of agriculture in New Jersey.