MOUNT VERNON — “Who Was Johnny Appleseed?” is the topic of the Brown Bag Chat on Wednesday, beginning at noon at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, 201 N. Mulberry St.

Dr. William Kerrigan, Muskingum College associate history professor and department chair, will discuss the story of John Chapman. Chapman was the itinerant missionary who went into the wilderness alone and planted millions of apple seeds in the territory lying south of the Great Lakes and between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. By the time the early settlers arrived, Chapman’s young apple trees were ready for sale.

Kerrigan, who received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, teaches colonial and ante-bellum American history. He is the author of articles in American ante-bellum and environmental history. He also has directed a number of oral history projects, including the Reclaiming Our Heritage Project, an oral and visual history of the impact of strip mining on several communities in Appalachian Ohio. He is working on a book on John Chapman.

This program is free and open to the public. Participants may bring a bag lunch; beverages are provided.