Tree That Owns Itself

The Tree That Owns Itself (Eng. tree that owns itself) was an excellent specimen of American white oak ( Quercus alba ) in the city of Athens in the U.S. state of Georgia. This tree was famous for that "he himself returned as a possession " was. It existed until 1942; However, a streaked from one of its acorns another copy was planted at the same place, which is often also " Tree That Owns Itself " or more precisely Son of The Tree That Owns Itself is called and it is now over 15 feet tall.

The widespread view is that the tree also includes the country spot within 2.4 meters around the trunk.

The tree stands at the corner of Finley and Dearing Street in Athens, and today represents a tourist attraction

The donation of the tree

The earliest known publication of the story of the Tree That Owns Itself is an article " Deeded to Itself " on the title page of the edition of the Athens Weekly Banner dated 12 August 1890. According to the content of the article, the tree located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson, son of the politician James Jackson (1757-1806), who was from 1798 to 1801 Governor of Georgia. This William Henry Jackson had played in his childhood happily under the broad canopy and the tree bequeathed the property itself and the surrounding land spot because of his childhood memories. This donation will - depending on the source - have occurred 1820-1832. In the newspaper article, the wording of the gift 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 Said tree bears, and his great desire to see it protected Has conveyed, and by thesis presents do convey unto the Said oak tree Entire possession of Itself and of all country within eight feet of it on all sides. "

"I, WH Jackson of the counties Clarke one hand, and the oak tree ... from the counties Clarke on the other hand: It is testified that the said WH Jackson for and mindful of the great affection that he brings to said tree, and his great desire him under protection set to force this gift said calibration Baume all the property of himself and the plot leaves around within eight feet. "

It is unclear whether the history of the " Tree That Owns Itself " only started with this newspaper article in 1890 or earlier circulated as a local legend. Well, the gift is considered to be a fact, although it could legally have on the one hand and no other is the highly doubtful whether this donation has taken place at all. So no one - ever seen the deed of gift - except perhaps remained anonymous author of the newspaper article from 1890. Next possessed William Henry Jackson not against the basic (formerly Plot No. 14), on which the tree stands, but the former Plot No. 15, located on the Dearing Street. Jackson and his wife Mildred sold their land in 1832, the year indicated on the attached brass plaque next to the tree as the year of the gift. In addition, William Henry Jackson spent his childhood not in Athens, but in Jefferson County.

History of the tree

It is assumed that the Tree That Owns Itself between the middle of the 16th and the end of the 18th century began to grow.

Around 1906 the tree was suffering from soil erosion at the base of the trunk. The New York investment banker and philanthropist George Foster Peabody donated money so that the tree got new earth, a plaque and a shut-off with chains and granite stones. 1907, the tree during an ice storm was severely damaged. Although conservative measures have been taken, the tree suffered from then on wood rot and became weaker and weaker. On 9 October 1942, he finally fell. The tree was about 30 meters high. Just a few days afterwards germinated the idea to replace the tree with a " son," a young tree copy, which would be drawn from one of the acorns of the Tree That Owns Itself.

History of the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself

For four years, was the point at which the Tree That Owns Itself fell vacant. Several citizens of Athens had pulled out of the old tree acorns young seedlings. Dan Magill, son of Elizabeth Magill, the member of the Athens ' Junior Ladies Garden Club, was proposed to replace the tree. Then, a 1.5 meter high copy was selected in the courtyard of Jack Watson and planted under the direction of Roy Bowden from the College of Agriculture of the University of Georgia as a successor, the tree was cut back to about a meter in height. On December 4, 1946, a formal ceremony was held for the new tree. The tree is regarded as a " hereditary successor " of the Tree That Owns Itself and usually even so dubbed, but sometimes more accurate Son of The Tree That Owns Itself called. The tree is now about 15 feet high.

Tourist attraction

Although the story of the tree is probably more fiction than truth, the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself has become one of the biggest tourist attractions of Athens. The piece of Finley Street, which leads uphill to the tree is the only surviving street with pavement in Athens. The tree was several times or in the publication Ripley's Believe It Not! mentioned.

Plaques

At the location of the tree, there are two stone tablets. The first is already heavily weathered and damaged, whereas the second was better preserved.: - Slightly modified - Part of William Henry Jackson attributed donation text mounted on two stone tablets, the same is

On a small brass plate which is attached to the heavily weathered stone tablet, is the following sentence:

Greater brass plate mounted on the rear wall of the concrete surrounding the tree fastener. It shows the following inscription:

It should be noted that not the tree itself, but of the entire historical district of Dearing Street was registered in 1975 in the National Register of Historic Places.

Others

In the Historic Tree Grove at Fort Decker Compound in Port Jervis, New York is one of the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself streaked tree copy (sort of a "grandchild " of the Tree That Owns Itself ), which called there, " Jackson White Oak " will.

The Tree That Owns Itself is "Am I So Great " by Cecily Iddings mentioned in the poem.