On a shaded corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, you can stroll up the only surviving cobblestone street in town to visit an elderly resident who has seen the city grow over the last 8 decades.
He is known as the tallest tax-exempt landowner in the county, and resides on the same 8-square-foot plot of land where his own father grew up to watch his own corner of Georgia develop over the course of 400 years. He is an stately white oak that is known around these parts as “The Tree That Owns Itself.”
This curious landmark is considered one of the most famous trees in the world, thanks to a historic stone monument at the base of the venerable white oak, which reads:
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 quote is ascribed to Colonel William Henry Jackson, who reportedly granted the tree its ownership around 1832, a decision that was first made public in an August 1890 article in the Athens Weekly Banner.
An Athens Legend Is Born
The story reads that Col. Jackson, born in 1796, “had watched the tree grow from his childhood, and grew to love it almost as he would a human. Its luxuriant foliage, and sturdy limbs had often protected him from the heavy rains, and out of its highest branches he had many a time gotten the eggs of the feathered songsters. He watched [its] growth, and when on reaching a ripe old age he saw the tree standing in [its] magnificent proportions, he was pained to think that after his death it would fall into the hands of those who might destroy it.“
To protect the tree from future demolition or danger, Jackson evidently deeded ownership of the tree and a portion of the land around it to the tree itself. The Banner reported that the deed read, “I, H. W. Jackson, of the county of Clarke, of the one part, and the oak tree of the county of Clarke, of the other part: Witnessed, 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.”
As all good stories do, the tale spread far and wide, and the original tree came to be something of a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, the tree started showing signs of decay with age, and little could be done to slow its inevitable demise.
A combination of root rot and a severe windstorm finally toppled the 100-foot-tall landowner in 1942, believed to be 200-400 years old at its end.
A New Beginning
Fortunately for those of us who enjoy unique stories and weird facts, members of the Junior Ladies Garden Club, who had tended to the tree before it fell, were able to salvage an acorn taken from the original tree and from which grew a small sapling.
On October 9, 1946, this little tree was transplanted to the location of its father, with an official ceremony commemorating the legendary occasion being held a few months later.
This tree is now known as The Son of the Tree That Owns Itself and it is assumed that, as the original tree’s heir, it naturally inherited the land it stood on. Although questions do rise as to the validity of the tree’s ownership claim.
As all legends do, the story became a mixture of fact and fiction as time passed, with speculation whether Col. Jackson legally deeded the original tree to itself in the first place.
Fact or Fiction?
Records show that Jackson only spent about 3 years of his life in Athens, after the age of 43, from 1829 to 1832 – which contradicts the notion that he loved the tree from the years he spent watching it grow from childhood.
Extensive searches of land ownership records in Athens during Jackson’s lifetime do not reveal whether Jackson ever owned the land the tree sits on in the first place.
He did live on an adjacent lot next to it for those three years, but whether or not he actually owned that lot is unclear in records of the time. The records do show that a 4-acre parcel that included both Jackson’s lot and the land the tree was own was sold to a University of Georgia professor in 1832.
Records indicate that the professor paid Jackson a sum of $1,200 at the time, but we don’t know if this compensation was for the property itself or for improvements Jackson made on the lot while living there, like the house he built on it.
In addition, no records exist that any property taxes, which did exist in Georgia at this time, were ever paid on the deeded land for the tree to be secure in its future. There are also no records of the deed itself proclaiming the tree to be it’s own property owner.
It is easy to imagine that few give credence to the validity of the story, yet the popularity of the legend is evident in the well-established tradition of celebrating Athen’s oldest resident.
Legal details aside, Athenians have chosen to ignore these minor factual details and continue to operate under the assumption that the Tree That Owns Itself does, indeed, own itself.
Although care of the tree technically falls to the city, with it existing in a residential right-of-way, members of the Junior Ladies Garden Club still tend to the tree to this day. Locals are said to celebrate the tree’s supposed birthday each year and decorate it for Christmas.
Through the years, it has remained a popular attraction for curious visitors, and city officials have no intention of spoiling the fun in the near future. Giving that white oaks can live up to 400 years, and how well this one is maintained, The Tree That Owns Itself will likely be visited by many more generations to come.
If you choose to visit this curious landmark, it is located one block south of busy Broad Street in Athens, Georgia. Be sure to keep your visit short, since the tree sits right in front of someone’s house in the middle of a residential area road.
Have you visited The Tree That Owns Itself?
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