Tree That Owns Itself
The Tree That Owns Itself (dt. Tree, which itself owns ) was an excellent specimen of American white oak ( Quercus alba ) in the city of Athens in the State of Georgia . This tree was famous for being given "all of its property". It existed until 1942; in the same place, however, another specimen was planted from one of its acorns, which is often also called "Tree That Owns Itself" or, more precisely, Son of The Tree That Owns Itself and is now over 15 meters high.
According to popular belief, the tree also owns the patch of land within 2.4 meters of the trunk.
The tree stands on the corner of Finley and Dearing Street in Athens and is now a tourist attraction .
The gift of the tree
The earliest known publication in the history of the Tree That Owns Itself is an article "Deeded to Itself" on the cover of the August 12, 1890 issue of the Athens Weekly Banner . According to the content of the article, the tree is on the property of a Colonel William Henry Jackson, son of the politician James Jackson (1757-1806), who was governor of Georgia from 1798 to 1801 . This William Henry Jackson played happily under the broad treetop in his childhood and, because of his childhood memories, bequeathed possession of himself and the surrounding patch of land to the tree. Depending on the source, this donation is said to have taken place between 1820 and 1832. In the newspaper article the wording of the donation is quoted as follows:
“I, WH Jackson, of the county of Clarke, of the one part, and the oak tree… of the county of Clarke, of the other part: Witnesseth, That the said WH Jackson for and in consideration of the great affection which he bears said tree, and his great desire to see it protected has conveyed, and by these presents do convey unto the said oak tree entire possession of itself and of all land within eight feet of it on all sides. "
"Myself, WH Jackson of Clarke County on the one hand, and the Oak Tree ... of Clarke County on the other hand: It is attested that said WH Jackson because of and in view of the great affection he shows for said tree and his great desire to protect him to ask, by virtue of this donation, said oak tree leaves the entire property of himself and the property within eight feet all around. "
It is unclear whether the story of the "Tree That Owns Itself" began with this newspaper article in 1890 or whether it was already circulating as a local legend. The donation is widely regarded as a fact, although on the one hand it could not last legally and on the other hand it is highly doubtful whether this donation took place at all. Nobody - except perhaps the anonymous author of the newspaper article from 1890 - has ever seen the deed of donation. Furthermore, William Henry Jackson did not own the land (former lot 14) on which the tree stands, but rather the former lot 15, located on Dearing Street opposite. Jackson and his wife Mildred sold their property in 1832, the year indicated on the brass plaque next to the tree as the year of the gift. In addition, William Henry Jackson did not spend his childhood in Athens, but in Jefferson County .
History of the tree
The Tree That Owns Itself is believed to begin growing between the mid-16th and late 18th centuries.
Around 1906 the tree suffered from soil erosion at the base of the trunk. New York investment banker and patron George Foster Peabody donated money so that the tree could have new earth, a memorial plaque, and a barrier with chains and granite stones . In 1907 the tree was badly damaged during an ice storm . Although conservation measures were taken, the tree suffered from wood rot and became weaker and weaker. He fell for good on October 9, 1942. The tree was over 30 meters tall. Just a few days later, the idea of replacing the tree with a “son” germinated, a young specimen that would be pulled from one of the acorns of the Tree That Owns Itself .
Story of the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself
For four years, the place where the Tree That Owns Itself fell remained vacant . Several citizens of Athens had grown young seedlings from acorns of the old tree. Dan Magill, son of Elizabeth Magill, who was a member of Athens' Junior Ladies Garden Club , suggested replacing the tree. Then a five-foot-tall specimen was selected in Jack Watson's yard and planted as a successor under the direction of Roy Bowden of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture , with the tree cut back to about three feet. A formal ceremony was held for the new tree on December 4, 1946. The tree is seen as the "hereditary successor" of the Tree That Owns Itself and is usually called that, but sometimes more precisely called Son of The Tree That Owns Itself . The tree is now over 15 meters high.
Tourist attraction
Although the story of the tree is arguably more fiction than truth, the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself has become one of Athens' biggest tourist attractions. The stretch of Finley Street that climbs up to the tree is the only remaining paved street in Athens. The tree was featured several times in Ripley's Believe It or Not! mentioned.
Memorial plaques
There are two stone tablets at the location of the tree. The first one is badly weathered and damaged, the second one is better preserved. The same - slightly modified - part of the gift text attributed to William Henry Jackson is affixed to both stone tablets:
- FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION
- OF THE GREAT LOVE I BEAR
- THIS TREE AND THE GREAT DESIRE
- I HAVE FOR ITS PROTECTION
- FOR ALL TIME, I CONVEY ENTIRE
- POSSESSION OF ITSELF AND
- ALL LAND WITHIN EIGHT FEET
- OF THE TREE ON ALL SIDES
- WILLIAM H. JACKSON
The following slogan is written on a small brass plate attached to the heavily weathered stone tablet:
- A.
- Descendent of the
- Tree
- That Owns Itself
- Planted by the
- Junior
- Ladies Garden Club
- 1946
A larger brass plaque is attached to the concrete back wall of the fortification surrounding the tree. It shows the following inscription:
- THE TREE THAT OWNS ITSELF
- Quercus alba
- Deeded to itself by Col. William H. Jackson
- circa 1832
- This scion of the original tree was planted by
- the Junior Ladies Garden Club in 1946
- National Register of Historic Places 1975
- Athens Historical Landmark 1988
It should be noted that it is not the tree itself, but the entire historic district of Dearing Street that was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Others
Historic Tree Grove at Fort Decker Compound in Port Jervis in New York State is one of the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself streaked tree copy (sort of a "grandson" of the Tree That Owns Itself ), called the "Jackson White Oak" there becomes.
The Tree That Owns Itself is mentioned in the poem "I Am So Great" by Cecily Iddings and in the poem "Der Sohn" by Clemens J. Setz .
Individual evidence
- ↑ The year 1832 can be found on a brass plaque that is attached to the tree.
- ↑ "Deeded to Itself" (12 August 1890). Athens, GA: Athens Weekly Banner 58 (176) p. 1.
- ^ Clarke County, Georgia, Deed Book P, p. 9 (June 15, 1832) and Deed Book S, p. 301.
- ↑ Dearing Street Historic District ( Memento of the original dated August 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Cooper, Patricia Irvin, et al., Eds (1979). Papers of the Athens Historical Society v. II . Athens, GA: Athens Historical Society.
- ↑ Tree That Owns Itself ( Memento of the original from July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ a b Dorsey, Derrick. Mighty oak enjoys golden years ( Memento of the original from April 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ a b The Tree That Owns Itself (archive version) ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), short article at letsgo.com.
- ^ Edward Meyer, Vice President for Exhibits and Archives, Ripley Entertainment Inc (October 26, 2006). Ripley's mentioned the tree at least three times: November 10, 1983, August 28, 1994, and April 27, 1996.
- ↑ River City Attractions ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
Web links
- Athens Clarke County Virtual Tour Page for the Tree That Owns Itself
- Roadside America's entry for the Tree That Owns Itself
- "A Tree In Athens That Owns Itself" ( October 17, 2009 memento on the Internet Archive ) by Richard E. Irby, Jr.
- Page on the history of Athens
- The National Arbor Day Foundation
Coordinates: 33 ° 57 ′ 18 " N , 83 ° 22 ′ 57" W.