Although pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated and beloved fruits, American heirloom pears are extremely rare today. This may be because fireblight was such a frustrating problem with pear culture for so long. Today’s pears are generally bred to be resistant to fire blight. The different varieties we have chosen range from big to small in size, and pale yellow to deep brownish yellow in color. Their tastes and textures vary from sweet to spicy and gritty to smooth. The Heirloom Orchardist just can’t dismiss the pear. Pear cuttings were frequently brought to the American colonies from Europe. Pioneers used the fruit for eating and baking, the wood was occasionally used for making furniture, and the leaves were used to produce a yellow dye.
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The Bartlett Pear has a checkered history. It was developed in England during the 17th century by John Stair. Mr. Stair sold some of his pear cuttings to a horticulturist named Williams, who continued developing the Stair variety and named it Williams. Then, at about 1799, Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Massachusetts brought it to the United States and renamed it the Bartlett. It has been 
the primary pear variety in the US for over 80 years, and accounts for about 75% of US pear production. However, because a fresh Barlett bruises easily, most of the commercial production is canned. As a fresh fruit, the Bartlett is most appropriate for the home orchard. It's ripe when it turns yellow, and gives a sweet aroma.
Purchase a Bartlett Pear Tree
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Blake’s Pride was developed by Richard Bell with the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia. This pear’s unique, rich, aromatic taste comes from a blend of sugars and acids. It is an excellent "eating pear." Although this is not a particularly old variety, we feel it's important to present Blake's Pride because it's resistant to fire blight.
Purchase a Blake's Pride Pear Tree
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D'Anjou pears are thought to have originated in France, in the vicinity of Angers. The variety was introduced to England early in the 19th century, and then introduced to America in about 1842. 
The Heirloom Orchardist would have called this pear the Beurré d' Anjou. When ripe the skin is mostly yellow and the fruit is sweet with a mild flavor. It’s excellent baked, poached, included in salads and eaten fresh.
Purchase a D'Ajou Pear Tree
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Peter Kieffer was born in Alsace, France in 1812. A gardener, he came to America in 1834 and established a nursery near Roxborough, Philadelphia. Here, he grew the ornamental Chinese sand pear, and Barletts. One year, amongst his sand pear seedlings, he noticed a plant displaying different characteristics. This seedling was set aside, and after it fruited in 1873, he found it to be of high quality. 
Thus this new hybrid, thought to be a chance cross between a sand pear and a Barlett, became known as the Kieffer Pear. The Kieffer Pear has a pleasant aroma; it is a beautiful and graceful tree with huge white flowers. But due to its firmness, the fruit is best used in preserves or pies. This pear is resistant to fireblight. The cold hardiness and disease resistance make this pear a valuable cultivar that remains a best selling pear tree today.
Purchase a Kieffer Pear Tree
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Potomac was released by the US Dept. of Agriculture in 1993. It is a small, sweet pear with fine, buttery flesh. We present it here, because it was parented by an heirloom: the D'Anjou (see above; by the way, the other parent was Moonglow). Appropriately, the flavor is found to be similar to D'Anjou. The skin is light green and glossy and the flesh is moderately fine. It has a great reputation as being the highest quality fireblight resistant variety available – quite a trait! Potomac tends to ripen two weeks after Bartlett.
Purchase a Potomac Pear Tree
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The Warren Pear originates from a seedling tree discovered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi by T.O. Warren. This is an excellent dessert quality pear with a smooth, buttery texture and small to medium size. The fruit is green-yellow, with a red blush. It’s highly resistant to fireblight, and it’s self-fruitful. Two perfect traits for the home orchard!
Purchase a Warren Pear Tree
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Just for fun, a couple years ago I prepared a couple pear-based designs for our pear enthusiast readers to wear. Labeled as "slightly irreverent," I hope they don't offend. These are available through the fulfillment house CafePress. You can acquire them by clicking on the images below.
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