The Tree That Owns Itself

Back in the late 1800’s, Professor William H. Jackson willed the deed to a tree and the land in an eight feet circle around the tree to the tree itself due to his “great love” of the tree. In 1942, the 400 year-old tree fell in a storm. A local garden club planted an acorn from the original tree in the same place in 1946. No one has fought this will and the town of Athens is rather proud of this unusual land owner.

John is often embarrassed about the weird places we visit. The 70 year-old tree was up a steep cobblestone road and in front of a private house in small neighborhood. In this case, a group of people were at the tree at the same time. So weren’t the only bizarre people visiting the tree and I got a picture of them too!

Athens also has the World’s Only Double-Barreled Cannon. It was designed during the Civil War to have the two balls chained together so that they would spin in flight and cause more damage. Unfortunately, the powder in the two chambers wouldn’t ignite at the exact same moment. There are stories how the cannon destroyed trees, a cornfield, and even killed a cow during tests. Unfortunately, none of these were the actual target. The cannons were never used in battle, but it is now aimed North in case us Yankees attack.