Perfect Tree
OHIO'S MOST PERFECT TREE
Wind whistling through the leaves. A cool shade under hot sunlight. A home for woodland animals. Birds singing from the branches.
These are some of the things that might enter your mind if you take a drive out Ohio 335 about one mile from Stockdale to visit the sugar maple tree that has been listed as Ohio Most Perfect Tree.
The tree is located just off Ohio 335 on a piece of land that was owned by the Samson Family for many years. Just this past spring, John Samson donated the area of land where the tree is located to the Highland Nature Sanctuary.
According to the sanctuary directors, the preserve was officially established in June 2005 as the William J. Samson Woods Nature Preserve, and is dedicated not only to John's great-grandfather, William Samson, but to John's parents, Clifton and Dorothy Samson as well.
Because John was so passionate about wanting to make certain that the woods would remain protected into the far-flung future, the sanctuary sought a partnerling land trust to offer additional protection. The Appalachian Ohio Alliance agreed to help out by holding conservation easement on the land, thereby ensuring that its staus as a nature preserve can never be reversed.
According to Nancy Henry, director of the sanctuary, the land boats many other amazing finds, such as the rare Adder's Tongue ferns, large colonies of Pink Lady Slipper Orchids and many different species of trees.
But, why is the Stockdale tree so perfect?
"It is the symmetry of the tree," said Matt Minter, Ohio Division of Natural Resources Naturalist. "It has to do with the shape and the size of the branches."
According to Henry, the tree is estimated be around 200 to 250 years old.
Some of the residents of Stockdale claim that the image of the tree has been used on printed material such as the letterhead of the former Mead Paper Company. It also ran on the cover of the former Stockdale School yearbooks.
"It is interesting to know that most of the information about the tree remains as thoughts or memories from the elderly of the area," said Henry. "If anyone remembers anything of historical importance about the tree, please call us at the Highland Sanctuary at (937) 365-1600."
Web Site: Samson's Woods
By Michael Butcher, NW Staff Writer
The Pike County News Watchman
September 2005
Copyright © 2006
Pike Co. Genealogy Society a Chapter of O.G.S.
P. O. Box 224, Waverly, Ohio 45690