Tree That Owns Itself

tree in Georgia

33°57′17″N 83°22′56″W / 33.954779°N 83.382325°W / 33.954779; -83.382325

The Tree That Owns Itself
The Tree That Owns Itself’s son

The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree in Athens, Georgia that is said to own itself and the land within eight feet of it. Legend says that a man named William Henry Jackson deeded the tree the ownership of itself and its surrounding land in the early 19th century. The original tree fell in 1942, but a new one was grown from one of its acorns and planted in the same location. Although the deed is lost or never existed, the local government recognizes the tree as owning itself, and it is maintained as a public street tree. The story of the tree is well-known, but there is no legal basis for the ownership claim.[1][2][3]

References

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  1. "Deeded to Itself". Athens Weekly Banner. August 12, 1890. p. 1.
  2. "Tree That Owns Itself". cviog.uga.edu. Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. Knight, Lucian Lamar (1917). A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians. Vol. 3. Chicago: Lewis Publishing. p. 1446. Retrieved April 18, 2023 – via Google Books.