The Tree that Owns Itself

In our ongoing effort to find interesting places to see in the area, we paid a visit to The Tree That Owns Itself, in Athens. A tour of oddities and weirdness is starting to take shape, since we have found weirdness up in Athens before.

Back Story: The Tree that Owns Itself

According to the references, the Tree that Owns Itself, or to be precise, the scion of The Tree That Owns Itself was originally part of a wooded area that predated the settlement of the area. The tree itself was “deeded” to itself by William H. Jackson, a college prof, that loved it. There is no apparent evidence that he owned it. The tree is located at the corner of Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, very near 125 Dearing Street.

The tree became a bit of an attraction, but in the early 1940’s it passed away. The local garden club planted a sprout from the original tree on the same spot, where the tree still stands. We believe the timing of this to be correct because the two big white oaks in front of the Firefly, which were planted when the place was built are about the same size.

There is an interesting collection of stone plaques and monuments around this poor thing, which has since had to endure World War 2, the Vietnam protests, and the construction of a nearby Holiday Inn. We know what evil forces lurk at the HI.

William H. Jackson

The people who do this sort of research have suggested that the tree was present when the land was first turned into a neighborhood. William H. Jackson did at one point live across the street, but there is a lot of question as to whether he had any sort of empowerment to deed this tree to itself.

That is, leaving aside for the moment the question of whether a tree has any legal authority to own anything.

Jackson must have been an illustrious character. According to the link below, he was the son of James Jackson, a Revolutionary War fighter, and his son James Jackson became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

According to the link below, he lived to the age of 90, and must therefore have been around for the firing of the Double Barreled Cannon.

He’s buried in the Oconee Hill Cemetery in case we ever want to bask in his aura.

Dan McGill, the Real Hero

Dan McGill was the former UGA Sports Information Director, and Head Tennis Coach. It was he who made the suggestion to his mom, member of the Junior Ladies Garden Club to re-grow the tree. It had been known for a few years that the tree was in bad shape, and theorized that it was dead when it fell over in 1942.

After that, a search was conducted for a suitable transplant, and one growing in the backyard of Captain Jack Watson was selected. The “experts” from the Georgia Horticulture Department were recruited to supervise.

The transplant was completed in 1946, and now it is now. The tree seems pretty peaceful and healthy at this point.

Cobblestones and Hippies

Actually when we actually visited the place, we were impressed with the neighborhood. For some reason, there was a little bubble of calm amid the normal commotion of Athens. The little Victorian style houses that surround this place are very well tended.

Across the street in a little house there was a group of young people with pink hair. They were trying to have a garage sale, and we stopped for a few minutes. In a general way it was not interesting enough to take pictures or hang out very long. It was interesting in that there were still hippies.

There is a lesson of course. This is because anything that is surplus to a hippie is below the range of usefulness for most people.

Zillow Stalking: These little houses are rather pricey. The pretty yellow one next to the tree is listed for $750K and the little hippie house is in the $695K range, so you would have to say they are doing fine. Walking distance to campus is probably helpful.

Dondero’s Coffee Shop

This place is nearby, and we actually stopped in here first. This might be described as a fun little coffee shop. It’s the type of place that you would go if you had a bookbag and a Chromebook, and wanted to be a college student for the day.

There was a lot of coffee, and rather wholesome looking kids. To that we say, good.

The feast was chicken salad and something called a “grits boat” which is yet another way to serve grits that we want to try.

The Starlite Showroom

We stumble into antique places all the time. This one is up the road on Broad Street. This place was specializing in mid-century modern, which is interesting because this period is unappreciated. If we wanted to get a hip fireplace, an old speaker set, or start a vintage vinyl collection, this is the place.

We were going to buy a couple of old campaign buttons, but the proprietor stepped out the back inexplicably and we finally gave up.

The Fig Tree

Was the Tree that Owns Itself channeling us somehow? In the parking lot of this place was a fig tree, sitting unattended. We helped ourselves to a couple of good looking cuttings, making the assumption that whoever owns the fig tree is indifferent.

The Bountiful Gardener says that these things are easy enough to sprout in a little water.
We do this sort of thing because we can.

We will let you know if the Tree that Owns Itself can cast its spirit on our humble figs.

OK so it’s probable that the Tree that Owns Itself was a tall tale anyway. You can’t transfer real estate to someone without them accepting it.

But, what did happen is that we were touched by history on this trip. Our fellow William Henry Jackson’s roots went all the way back to the American Revolution. He lived in an era where imagination, and even irreverent practical jokes were not unheard of.

The young hippies? Well it is good to know that the spirit of people living like dogs in a funny old Victorian house is alive and well. Pink hair included. Come to find out, the house is expensive. The owners will have to eradicate the hippies to get their bounty.

The mid-century “modern?” It may make a comeback. The fossils of the uptight 60’s are still around as well. The coffee shop is a fun artifact of the 2000’s I guess, the rebirth of coffee snobbery.

The fig tree? It’s about the future. Hopefully it will make it, and its little bounty of figs will be appreciated by whoever is around to collect them. That’s the story for today.

Would we put a guest onto this trip? Well a nice day trip can be had, we think. Go up to Athens, hang out in a coffee shop and people watch. Go to the Double Barreled Cannon and the Tree that Owns Itself, and then the Starlite Showroom? This is a pleasant day trip except for the 8 weeks in the fall when the team is playing at home. Check the schedule.