Tinbridge Hill in Lynchburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ancient Sugar Maple Tree
August 14, 2021
1. Ancient Sugar Maple Tree Marker
This ancient sugar maple tree had to be cut down in December 2003. It was estimated to be 120 years old, probably planted in the 1880's by Colonel Kirkwood Otey, a disabled Confederate veteran, and his wife Lucy Norvell Otey. The Oteys planted many of the original sugar maple trees in the Confederate Section. Colonel Otey used his crutches to pack dirt around the roots of each tree, while Mrs. Otey held the saplings in place.
Two poems come to mind…
The Giving Tree
By Shel Silverstein, 1964
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. "You
cannot swing on them—"
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone," said the tree.
"You cannot climb—"
"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could
give you something…
but I have nothing left. I am just
an old stump. I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now,"
said the boy,
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree,
straightening herself up
as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good
for sitting and resting.
Come, Boy, sit down.
Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the treewas happy.
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Thanksgiving Mourning
By Sarah Elizabeth Smith, 2003
Train cars pass, smooth as wind—
Background music for the dead.
Resting 150 years in this old cemetery,
boys with Yankee tongues and southern slurs
sleep together in the end.
Now a united nation cares for their unmarked,
cookie cut gravestones.
Rose bushes line the yard;
mountains enclose the dead
moving gracefully in Thanksgiving mourning.
Chilled sunlight etches the figure of a maple,
whose roots hug another unmarked tomb.
This old tree feeds on succulent corpses.
Passion, patriotism and youth are scaled into its barked.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical month for this entry is December 2003.
Location. 37° 24.931′ N, 79° 9.435′ W. Marker is in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is in Tinbridge Hill. Marker can be reached from Taylor Street, 0.2 miles north of 4th Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 Taylor St, Lynchburg VA 24501, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. In Memory of Lucy Kirkwood Scott Hotchkiss (here, next to this marker); 14-States Confederate Monument (a few steps from this marker); Confederate Smallpox Memorial
August 14, 2021
2. Ancient Sugar Maple Tree Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2021. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 18, 2021.
