The Tree That Owns Itself! :-)

Several years ago, when my son was attending the University of Georgia, I drove over for an afternoon visit and a little shopping. As we were driving around Athens, doing a little sightseeing in the historic neighborhoods, my son turns to me and says, "Do you want to see the tree that owns itself?" Huh? "What did you just say?" He looks at me and repeats, "Do you want to see the tree that owns itself?" "Surrrreee," I said...thinking the hot Georgia sun had done fried his brain! ;-)

The south has always been known for it's quirky superstitions and colorful characters...so, you'd think, having grown up here, I'd be ready for 'most anything. We drove slowly up Finley street, the only remaining cobblestone street in Athens.


As we approached the corner of Finley and Dearing, I saw it. There, growing right smack in the middle of the road, was a lone White Oak. The two lane road narrowed down to a single lane that snaked its way around the right side of the tree. We sat and waited patiently as another car coming from the other direction, squeezed its way around the tree. Then, it was our turn to squeeze by, with the road once again becoming two lanes.


Below...a view of the tree from the other side. The paved lane you see on the right is a driveway to a home not too far from the famous tree.


I was enthralled. How was it that a tree came to be growing in the middle of a road, completely and totally obstructing the normal flow of traffic, forcing all those who chose this path to slow down and give the tree its due respect? My son filled me in on part of the legend of the tree...here's a blurb from Wikipedia that explains:

The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree, widely assumed to have legal ownership of itself and of all land within eight feet (2.4 m) of its base. The earliest known telling of the tree’s story comes from a front page article titled "Deeded to Itself" in the Athens Weekly Banner of August 12, 1890. The article explains that the tree had been located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson. William Jackson was the son of one James Jackson (a soldier in the American Revolution as well as a Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Georgia), and the father of another James Jackson (a Congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia). He was the brother of Jabez Young Jackson, also a Congressman. (William Jackson was reportedly a professor at the University of Georgia and is sometimes given the title of Doctor; the nature of his military service and the source of the title Colonel are unknown.) Jackson supposedly cherished childhood memories of the tree and, desiring to protect it, deeded to the tree ownership of itself and the surrounding land. By various accounts this transaction took place between 1820 and 1832. According to the newspaper article, the deed read:

"I, W. H. 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 W. H. 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."

The original tree was said to have fallen in the midst of a bad storm in 1942, and a new tree was grown from one of its acorns and planted in the same location. The current tree is sometimes referred to as the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself.

Wikipedia states: The original oak fell on the evening of October 9, 1942, following a long period of decline. The tree's poor condition had been known for years, and within days of its collapse a move was under way to replace the fallen tree with a "son" grown from one of its acorns. One account suggests that the tree had actually died several years before it collapsed, the victim of root rot. The tree was over 100 feet (30 m) tall and was estimated to be between 150 and 400 years old when it fell. Both trees have appeared in numerous national publications, and the site is a local landmark in Athens.

There's an old plaque at the site that has become very weathered over the years. The stone faintly details a passage from William H. Jackson's deed to the tree. It has become difficult to read...

So, at some point, another plaque was placed nearby with the same passage.. It states:

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



Wikipedia adds: Regarding Jackson’s deed, one writer noted at the turn of the last century, “However defective this title may be in law, the public recognized it.” In that spirit, it is the stated position of the Athens-Clarke County unified government that the tree, in spite of the law, does indeed own itself.


You may read more about The Tree That Owns Itself, HERE, at Wikipedia. It also has it's own Facebook page with 4,606 Fans. No kidding! If you'd like to become a Facebook Fan of The Tree That Owns Itself, click HERE. :-)

Welcome to the south...where anything is possible. I truly can't think of any other place I'd rather live. ;-)