December 5, 2024 • 14 mins
Can a tree own itself?
In Georgia the answer is a resounding ... KINDOF!
The curios story of one trees accepted autonomy is a tale worth telling - Noodles and I visit it's location in Athens, Georgia to investigate.
As always, we'll answer listener questions at the end - which include:
How much energy does your solar power produce?
What happens when Noodles can’t go to a location for an episode?
How long did you spend in the Blockbuster? Did you see the movie props gifted by John Oliver?
Any upcoming episodes you’re excited about?
Noah and Noodles here!
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.
Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.
Follow each adventure visually at:
https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cruisin' down the street.
I wonder where this road wouldlead.
So many possibilities.
Care to share what you think.
Oh, noodle Dolls, what do yousee?
Back Road Odyssey.
(00:22):
Van Life Diaries the tree thatowns itself.
Welcome to Van Life Diaries.
I'm your host, noah, along withmy dog, noodles the Woodle,
we're recording in the van insouthern Florida.
Today it's a little hot, butwe're still excited to reflect
on the small detour we took toAthens, georgia, to visit the
(00:44):
tree that owns itself.
As always, fan life diaries areunscripted and impromptu.
As such, the curious story of asingle tree declaring its
autonomy will be told, albeit abit loosely.
With that said, I'm drinking athree daughters IPA from St
Petersburg, trying to keep itlocal.
(01:04):
Feel free to join me, alcoholicor not, whatever you're feeling
, and buckle up for a good oldGeorgian tale.
Let's get into it.
Behind the antebellumarchitecture, the trendy shops
and the good music scene, thiscollege town of Athens nestled
in northeast Georgia has asecret.
(01:25):
It's not shocking, it doesn'tstand out, it's not even
particularly worth driving outof your way to see, but it is
peculiar, it's enduring and thestory is reflective of the
people and the legacy of Athens.
We, of course, are referring toa tree, a specific tree in
(01:47):
Athens that owns itself.
For, and in consideration ofthe great love I bear this tree
and the great desire I have forits protection for all time, I
convey entire possession ofitself and all land within eight
feet of the tree, on all sides.
William H Jackson, 1832.
(02:10):
This is a reading of a picturethat I took when Noodles and I
went to go see the tree inAthens.
It was a beautiful sunny daywhen we went, not a cloud in the
sky.
We'd just been earlier in theday to Terrapin Brewing.
I liked their beer for a longtime and I love going to tap
rooms, so we went.
So why not just stay in the taproom?
(02:32):
You might be wondering why goto what really amounts to just a
tree?
And to answer this, I think fora lot of the show it's less
about the actual place that wego to and it's more about the
story, what it tells about thesurrounding area in the broader
context of the people that livethere.
(02:54):
So for the tree, specificallythe tree that we left a brewery
to go visit, the first questionI want to answer right now is
why?
The first question I want toanswer right now is why, what's
the larger story of this treeand what can it tell us about
the area and about the people ofAthens?
(03:14):
Oral traditions pinpoint thebeginning of the story the tree
that owns itself to a colonel ora doctor, or neither, depending
on who you ask.
The occupation really isambiguous, the more research
that you do.
But the name is not.
William.
Henry Jackson, it's said, spentmuch of his childhood sitting
(03:36):
underneath a particularlybeautiful tree, whilst growing
up in Athens, georgia.
I think it's a universal desireto want to preserve what you
enjoy, what you cherish, and forWilliam, this universal desire
extended to his favorite,cherished childhood tree.
(03:57):
To prevent anything fromhappening to his special tree,
william deeds the tree and thesurrounding eight feet on every
side to the tree, witness thatthe said W H Jackson for and in
consideration of the greataffection which he bears said
tree and his great desire to seeit protected, has conveyed.
(04:20):
And by these presents doconvert the said tree entire
possession of itself and of allland within eight feet on all
sides.
All right, mouthful as that was, that was a reported reading of
the will left by William.
And you must ask right now, whydo I say reported?
Well, the deed, it seems, wasnever found.
(04:45):
So keep that in the back ofyour mind.
But beyond that, right now, canyou legally deed something to an
object, especially in the stateof Georgia?
In other words, can a treelegally own itself?
And I'm going to be honest,these legal episodes are getting
a little too much.
I'm going to call my.
These legal episodes aregetting a little too much, I'm
going to call my lawyer.
(05:06):
Quick, one second.
You got to stop calling me man,so sorry, really quick.
Can a tree own itself in Georgia?
No, Yep, much like the healingfountain episode, where the land
around the springs were deededto God, it's not legally binding
(05:29):
.
An entity must be present toaccept the deed being given, and
here's why, in my view, this isa story worth telling and if
you're in Athens, a story worthtelling and if you're in Athens,
a tree worth visiting.
So, after William's death,years pass, generations pass and
throughout it all his wishesare respected.
(05:51):
It may as well be legallybinding because the tree, and
eight feet on every side,belongs to itself courtesy of
the collective people of Athens,georgia.
No one's touched it.
But here's where it gets alittle deeper.
When you stand beneath the treetoday, you look up and you
think this looks much, muchyounger, a lot shorter than it
(06:16):
should if William sat underneaththis tree in the 19th century.
And that's because drumrollplease the tree today is not the
same tree deeded to itself byWilliam all those years ago.
A storm in 1942 ripped down theestimated 300-plus year tree,
(06:39):
but luckily by this point thetree had become a cherished
local landmark Pretty quickly.
Four years after the tree felldown, a new sapling was planted
from an acorn produced by theoriginal fallen tree In 1946, it
was planted by the JuniorLadies Garden Club, was
(06:59):
dedicated to itself by the mayorat the time time and throughout
it all then, now and before itwas respected by the larger
population of Athens.
To this day, no one haschallenged the ownership of the
tree.
The nearby houses, sidewalks,parks and surrounding trees add
(07:21):
to the really heartening notionthat everyone respects this
unique tree's autonomy.
They respect the tradition ofit all rather than a piece of
paper.
A resident noticed me settingup my tripod to take a picture
of Noodles and I and she cameover to help me take the picture
(07:42):
.
Everybody respects this tree.
And look, would I recommenddriving three hours to see the
tree like I did?
Probably not.
But stories like this, thecommunities that uphold these
stories, the humanity that theybring back into this pretty
bleak world sometimes, is worthtaking the time to stop and to
(08:03):
listen to.
It is small, seeminglyinconsequential landmarks and
the stories behind them, likethe tree that owns itself, that
make life just a tad moreinteresting.
On one level, the tree inAthens does not own itself in
any way, shape or form, butbecause people collectively
(08:24):
believe that it does, it does socheers to the people of Athens,
to its autonomous tree and tothe small stories and locations
that bring us all together.
With that said, my friends,let's hear some listener
questions.
With that said, my friends,let's hear some listener
(08:45):
questions.
How long did you spend in theblockbuster?
Did you see the movie propsgifted by John Oliver?
All right, so this is referringto the last blockbuster in the
world in Bend, oregon, noodles,and I went to visit it and did
an episode on it.
So we got there and I turnedthe AC on for Noodles and I
(09:07):
spent maybe 30 minutes in thestore.
So maybe the John Oliver bitneeds some context.
John Oliver did an episode onthe remaining blockbusters in
the world.
I think there were three leftin Alaska, one in Australia and
one in Bend.
John Oliver went to an auctionthat Russell Crowe was having
(09:27):
where he sold his old movieprops, and John Oliver bought
the jockstrap from Cinderellaman and sent it to one of the
stores in Alaska to helpbusiness.
But when that store closed theythen sent it to Bend, oregon,
and, funnily enough, that is thefirst thing that I looked for
when I went to the business.
But when that store closed theythen sent it to Bend, oregon
and, funnily enough, that is thefirst thing that I looked for
when I went to the store and Ididn't find it and I didn't do
(09:49):
any more digging on what theydid with it once they did
receive it from the Alaska store.
So I'll have to look into that.
But they did have other movieprops.
They did have other gifts thatpeople had sent them.
I'll get back to you on that.
I'll do an update next.
Van Life Diaries what happenswhen noodles can't go to a
(10:09):
location for an episode?
Yeah, so every so often there'sa location that noodles is not
allowed into just because dogscan't go everywhere.
So on one hand I really try topick locations that we both can
go to, but on the off chancethat she cannot go.
I put on the AC in the van andshe hangs out in the van.
(10:30):
If there's locations within thelocation that she can go to,
I'll take her, but otherwise shejust she hangs out in the van.
Uh, got AC and I go and checkon her every 30 minutes or so.
So, yeah, she's all taken careof, but I really wish she could
go to every one of them, becauseshe's a sweetheart.
(10:52):
How much energy does your solarpower produce?
Great question.
I am in the midst of trying toreplace my batteries and get
better solar power.
I've got 215 watts currently.
The fridge takes up a lot ofpower, as well as other things
in the van, so I'm going to workon bumping that up a little bit
and getting better batteries,because at the moment I can only
(11:15):
have lights on for not verylong at all.
So, yeah, very relevantquestion, thank you.
Are you in Florida to enjoy theArctic temperatures?
I'm in Florida currently to onefix some of my van, as I said.
Two to watch my parents' dogs.
(11:35):
And three, yeah, we've had abit of colder weather recently,
which has been so nice, butwhat's funny about the van and
when I'm recording is I can'thave my vent on and I can't have
AC.
I need all the windows closedjust for audio purposes.
So even though it is a bitcolder, it's insulated, so it's
(11:58):
like a sauna a little bit.
The sun kind of bakes me inhere.
So whenever I'm in a sunnyplace, even though it might be a
little colder, it gets prettyhot when I record.
But Florida in general noodlesand I go for great walks at 65
degrees.
Yeah, I'd say it's great tohave Arctic-like temperatures
(12:19):
while I'm down here.
Any upcoming episodes that youare excited about?
There are legitimately so many.
I've been reading a lot ofbooks on Plymouth Rock.
I went there a bit ago.
I want to do this as a seriesand I want to get it right,
because that's, in essence, iswhat Backward Odyssey is about.
(12:41):
Right, these really sometimesunderwhelming locations, but you
dive into the story andsuddenly it becomes the most
interesting thing.
So yeah, plymouth Rock will beone.
Then there's a cult locationdown here in Florida which I'm
very excited about.
There's a diamond mine inAlabama that you can pay $14 to
(13:06):
go and dig for your own diamonds.
So I did that.
I wonder if I got anything.
I guess we'll have to see aboutthat.
But yeah, there's definitely,definitely a bunch.
Thanks for asking Greatquestion.
It's Noah here.
Thank you so much.
It's getting pretty hotrecording in the van down here
(13:27):
in southern Florida so I'm goingto start signing out, but I do
appreciate every minute that youspend listening to Backroad
Odyssey.
If you're in Athens, check outTerrapin Brewing Company They've
got some good stuff and swingby the tree that owns itself.
It is a tree, but a tree likeno other.
If you find value in this show,taking one minute to rate or
(13:52):
review wherever you're listeningnow really, really helps us
continue to share overlookedlocations and stories.
I appreciate your time.
Be good to each other.
Where to next?
Cruisin' down the street.
I wonder where this road wouldlead.
So many possibilities.
Care to share what you think.
Oh, noodle Dolls, what do yousee?
Back Road Odyssey.
(00:22):
Van Life Diaries the tree thatowns itself.
Welcome to Van Life Diaries.
I'm your host, noah, along withmy dog, noodles the Woodle,
we're recording in the van insouthern Florida.
Today it's a little hot, butwe're still excited to reflect
on the small detour we took toAthens, georgia, to visit the
(00:44):
tree that owns itself.
As always, fan life diaries areunscripted and impromptu.
As such, the curious story of asingle tree declaring its
autonomy will be told, albeit abit loosely.
With that said, I'm drinking athree daughters IPA from St
Petersburg, trying to keep itlocal.
(01:04):
Feel free to join me, alcoholicor not, whatever you're feeling
, and buckle up for a good oldGeorgian tale.
Let's get into it.
Behind the antebellumarchitecture, the trendy shops
and the good music scene, thiscollege town of Athens nestled
in northeast Georgia has asecret.
(01:25):
It's not shocking, it doesn'tstand out, it's not even
particularly worth driving outof your way to see, but it is
peculiar, it's enduring and thestory is reflective of the
people and the legacy of Athens.
We, of course, are referring toa tree, a specific tree in
(01:47):
Athens that owns itself.
For, and in consideration ofthe great love I bear this tree
and the great desire I have forits protection for all time, I
convey entire possession ofitself and all land within eight
feet of the tree, on all sides.
William H Jackson, 1832.
(02:10):
This is a reading of a picturethat I took when Noodles and I
went to go see the tree inAthens.
It was a beautiful sunny daywhen we went, not a cloud in the
sky.
We'd just been earlier in theday to Terrapin Brewing.
I liked their beer for a longtime and I love going to tap
rooms, so we went.
So why not just stay in the taproom?
(02:32):
You might be wondering why goto what really amounts to just a
tree?
And to answer this, I think fora lot of the show it's less
about the actual place that wego to and it's more about the
story, what it tells about thesurrounding area in the broader
context of the people that livethere.
(02:54):
So for the tree, specificallythe tree that we left a brewery
to go visit, the first questionI want to answer right now is
why?
The first question I want toanswer right now is why, what's
the larger story of this treeand what can it tell us about
the area and about the people ofAthens?
(03:14):
Oral traditions pinpoint thebeginning of the story the tree
that owns itself to a colonel ora doctor, or neither, depending
on who you ask.
The occupation really isambiguous, the more research
that you do.
But the name is not.
William.
Henry Jackson, it's said, spentmuch of his childhood sitting
(03:36):
underneath a particularlybeautiful tree, whilst growing
up in Athens, georgia.
I think it's a universal desireto want to preserve what you
enjoy, what you cherish, and forWilliam, this universal desire
extended to his favorite,cherished childhood tree.
(03:57):
To prevent anything fromhappening to his special tree,
william deeds the tree and thesurrounding eight feet on every
side to the tree, witness thatthe said W H Jackson for and in
consideration of the greataffection which he bears said
tree and his great desire to seeit protected, has conveyed.
(04:20):
And by these presents doconvert the said tree entire
possession of itself and of allland within eight feet on all
sides.
All right, mouthful as that was, that was a reported reading of
the will left by William.
And you must ask right now, whydo I say reported?
Well, the deed, it seems, wasnever found.
(04:45):
So keep that in the back ofyour mind.
But beyond that, right now, canyou legally deed something to an
object, especially in the stateof Georgia?
In other words, can a treelegally own itself?
And I'm going to be honest,these legal episodes are getting
a little too much.
I'm going to call my.
These legal episodes aregetting a little too much, I'm
going to call my lawyer.
(05:06):
Quick, one second.
You got to stop calling me man,so sorry, really quick.
Can a tree own itself in Georgia?
No, Yep, much like the healingfountain episode, where the land
around the springs were deededto God, it's not legally binding
(05:29):
.
An entity must be present toaccept the deed being given, and
here's why, in my view, this isa story worth telling and if
you're in Athens, a story worthtelling and if you're in Athens,
a tree worth visiting.
So, after William's death,years pass, generations pass and
throughout it all his wishesare respected.
(05:51):
It may as well be legallybinding because the tree, and
eight feet on every side,belongs to itself courtesy of
the collective people of Athens,georgia.
No one's touched it.
But here's where it gets alittle deeper.
When you stand beneath the treetoday, you look up and you
think this looks much, muchyounger, a lot shorter than it
(06:16):
should if William sat underneaththis tree in the 19th century.
And that's because drumrollplease the tree today is not the
same tree deeded to itself byWilliam all those years ago.
A storm in 1942 ripped down theestimated 300-plus year tree,
(06:39):
but luckily by this point thetree had become a cherished
local landmark Pretty quickly.
Four years after the tree felldown, a new sapling was planted
from an acorn produced by theoriginal fallen tree In 1946, it
was planted by the JuniorLadies Garden Club, was
(06:59):
dedicated to itself by the mayorat the time time and throughout
it all then, now and before itwas respected by the larger
population of Athens.
To this day, no one haschallenged the ownership of the
tree.
The nearby houses, sidewalks,parks and surrounding trees add
(07:21):
to the really heartening notionthat everyone respects this
unique tree's autonomy.
They respect the tradition ofit all rather than a piece of
paper.
A resident noticed me settingup my tripod to take a picture
of Noodles and I and she cameover to help me take the picture
(07:42):
.
Everybody respects this tree.
And look, would I recommenddriving three hours to see the
tree like I did?
Probably not.
But stories like this, thecommunities that uphold these
stories, the humanity that theybring back into this pretty
bleak world sometimes, is worthtaking the time to stop and to
(08:03):
listen to.
It is small, seeminglyinconsequential landmarks and
the stories behind them, likethe tree that owns itself, that
make life just a tad moreinteresting.
On one level, the tree inAthens does not own itself in
any way, shape or form, butbecause people collectively
(08:24):
believe that it does, it does socheers to the people of Athens,
to its autonomous tree and tothe small stories and locations
that bring us all together.
With that said, my friends,let's hear some listener
questions.
With that said, my friends,let's hear some listener
(08:45):
questions.
How long did you spend in theblockbuster?
Did you see the movie propsgifted by John Oliver?
All right, so this is referringto the last blockbuster in the
world in Bend, oregon, noodles,and I went to visit it and did
an episode on it.
So we got there and I turnedthe AC on for Noodles and I
(09:07):
spent maybe 30 minutes in thestore.
So maybe the John Oliver bitneeds some context.
John Oliver did an episode onthe remaining blockbusters in
the world.
I think there were three leftin Alaska, one in Australia and
one in Bend.
John Oliver went to an auctionthat Russell Crowe was having
(09:27):
where he sold his old movieprops, and John Oliver bought
the jockstrap from Cinderellaman and sent it to one of the
stores in Alaska to helpbusiness.
But when that store closed theythen sent it to Bend, oregon,
and, funnily enough, that is thefirst thing that I looked for
when I went to the business.
But when that store closed theythen sent it to Bend, oregon
and, funnily enough, that is thefirst thing that I looked for
when I went to the store and Ididn't find it and I didn't do
(09:49):
any more digging on what theydid with it once they did
receive it from the Alaska store.
So I'll have to look into that.
But they did have other movieprops.
They did have other gifts thatpeople had sent them.
I'll get back to you on that.
I'll do an update next.
Van Life Diaries what happenswhen noodles can't go to a
(10:09):
location for an episode?
Yeah, so every so often there'sa location that noodles is not
allowed into just because dogscan't go everywhere.
So on one hand I really try topick locations that we both can
go to, but on the off chancethat she cannot go.
I put on the AC in the van andshe hangs out in the van.
(10:30):
If there's locations within thelocation that she can go to,
I'll take her, but otherwise shejust she hangs out in the van.
Uh, got AC and I go and checkon her every 30 minutes or so.
So, yeah, she's all taken careof, but I really wish she could
go to every one of them, becauseshe's a sweetheart.
(10:52):
How much energy does your solarpower produce?
Great question.
I am in the midst of trying toreplace my batteries and get
better solar power.
I've got 215 watts currently.
The fridge takes up a lot ofpower, as well as other things
in the van, so I'm going to workon bumping that up a little bit
and getting better batteries,because at the moment I can only
(11:15):
have lights on for not verylong at all.
So, yeah, very relevantquestion, thank you.
Are you in Florida to enjoy theArctic temperatures?
I'm in Florida currently to onefix some of my van, as I said.
Two to watch my parents' dogs.
(11:35):
And three, yeah, we've had abit of colder weather recently,
which has been so nice, butwhat's funny about the van and
when I'm recording is I can'thave my vent on and I can't have
AC.
I need all the windows closedjust for audio purposes.
So even though it is a bitcolder, it's insulated, so it's
(11:58):
like a sauna a little bit.
The sun kind of bakes me inhere.
So whenever I'm in a sunnyplace, even though it might be a
little colder, it gets prettyhot when I record.
But Florida in general noodlesand I go for great walks at 65
degrees.
Yeah, I'd say it's great tohave Arctic-like temperatures
(12:19):
while I'm down here.
Any upcoming episodes that youare excited about?
There are legitimately so many.
I've been reading a lot ofbooks on Plymouth Rock.
I went there a bit ago.
I want to do this as a seriesand I want to get it right,
because that's, in essence, iswhat Backward Odyssey is about.
(12:41):
Right, these really sometimesunderwhelming locations, but you
dive into the story andsuddenly it becomes the most
interesting thing.
So yeah, plymouth Rock will beone.
Then there's a cult locationdown here in Florida which I'm
very excited about.
There's a diamond mine inAlabama that you can pay $14 to
(13:06):
go and dig for your own diamonds.
So I did that.
I wonder if I got anything.
I guess we'll have to see aboutthat.
But yeah, there's definitely,definitely a bunch.
Thanks for asking Greatquestion.
It's Noah here.
Thank you so much.
It's getting pretty hotrecording in the van down here
(13:27):
in southern Florida so I'm goingto start signing out, but I do
appreciate every minute that youspend listening to Backroad
Odyssey.
If you're in Athens, check outTerrapin Brewing Company They've
got some good stuff and swingby the tree that owns itself.
It is a tree, but a tree likeno other.
If you find value in this show,taking one minute to rate or
(13:52):
review wherever you're listeningnow really, really helps us
continue to share overlookedlocations and stories.
I appreciate your time.
Be good to each other.
Where to next?
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