Tree that Owns Itself, Georgia

A tree, surrounded by a small stone and chain fence, stands almost in the middle of the road in a residential neighborhood, with a monument with the following inscription: "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 monument dates back to the late 1800s, though the original tree, said to be 400 years old, was knocked down by a storm in 1942. Members of the Junior Ladies Garden Club collected acorns from the fallen tree, from which they grew saplings. In 1946, a particularly well-suited sapling was planted in the same spot as the original, becoming the Son of the Tree That Owns Itself, to which the same deed seems to apply.

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