Uncle Tom Pawpaw

Uncle Tom holds real historical significance as the first named pawpaw cultivar on record, documented in J.A. Little's 1905 book on pawpaw cultivation. It originated as an open-pollinated seed selected from superior wild fruit, planted as part of a deliberately laid-out orchard of 35 trees on the property of Judge John V. Hadley in Danville, Indiana — meaning it represents the actual starting point of documented, intentional pawpaw variety selection in the United States, predating essentially every other named cultivar in modern cultivation.