“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture
is like a tree without roots.” - Marcus Garvey
Tribute Trees of Mills Lawn
Tribute to Judge William Mills: Tree Update - May 31, 2022
A gift from the Citizens to Preserve Mills Lawn Greenspace, this tribute tree was planted on May 31, 2022. It is a bur (sometimes spelled burr) oak (Quercus macrocarpa), a type of lobed-leaved oak tree. Leaves are somewhat fiddle-shaped. It is also called Mossycup oak because its acorns are nestled in unique shaggy-fringed cups. Bur oaks are long-lived, large hardwood trees, up to 80 feet tall. This tree is a fine companion to the many other oak trees that have thrived on Mills Lawn for many years.
Our bur oak is a tribute to the original owner of Mills Lawn, Judge William Mills, who preserved many of its old growth trees and created a virtual park behind his mansion on this property for the use and enjoyment of the Yellow Springs community. A commemorative plaque has been ordered for the tree.
Thirty-seven tribute trees now grace the open area on the west side of Mills Lawn School, and more are located on the east (Walnut Street) side. Tribute trees are donations to Yellow Springs to memorialize loved ones or to honor persons or groups. In consultation with the school administration, the Yellow Springs Tree Committee helps to select the type of trees and the planting sites, purchases, and plants the trees, and installs commemorative plaques that identify the trees, their donors, and their honorees.
SIGN our petition to help preserve these trees in this greenspace.
Mills Lawn is the site of the first tribute trees planted by a group of volunteers that later formed the Yellow Springs Tree Committee. That first year they planted 25 trees donated by local businessmen to honor Kieth Howard, the former editor of the Yellow Springs News. In addition to regular donations, the Tree Committee and Mills Lawn students plant one or two new tribute trees on the campus on Arbor Day each year. The students learn about the value of trees and shovel earth or spread mulch around the base of each tree. They obviously take great pride in “their” trees, which, it has been noted, are less likely to suffer broken limbs or other damage than many other public trees in Yellow Springs. In addition to tribute trees, there are of course many other trees growing in this greenspace, among them a majestic shagbark hickory and those prominent Three Sisters.
Read Anna Bellisari’s feature article on the Three Sisters from the 2021 Yellow Springs Tree Committee Newsletter.
The names of all Yellow Springs tribute tree donors and honorees are public information. They appear in the Tree Committee’s Tree Book, copies of which are available in the Yellow Springs Library, Bryan Center, Senior Center, Friends Care, Antioch Library, and school libraries. The variety of tribute trees throughout the Mills Lawn greenspace is shown by the pie chart. The greenspace tribute trees are numbered on the Tree Map below. Each number is referenced and defined in the updated Tree List file .
Joan Ackerman’s Personal Story
I have lived in the Yellow Springs historic district with my family for many decades. All four of my children completed 13 years of school locally, graduated from Yellow Springs High School and have become successful adults. As an educator and child advocate, I have been an enthusiastic supporter of our schools and sincerely hope our community can continue to offer a high quality education to future generations. No doubt, that will involve on-going changes to our curriculum and facilities. However, it should not be at the expense of Mills Lawn green space. Given the many options available to us, we can surely develop a plan that preserves this heart and soul of our unique town. I can’t imagine the awful lesson we will be teaching if we don’t.
It should also be noted that, over the years, tribute trees have been planted on the Mills Lawn campus in memory of local loved ones. Each one has a story to tell. One of them honors Sam Bachtell who served as treasurer for 30 consecutive school levy campaigns. Clearly, any development on this site must include protecting these trees and their stories while reserving significant greenspace for all to enjoy.
MAP of Mills Lawn Tribute Trees
Shagbark Hickory
Old Growth Trees on Mills Lawn by Anna Bellisari
Over the years, Tree Committee volunteers have planted and cared for many tribute trees, Arbor Day celebration trees, and just plain trees to beautify the Mills Lawn school grounds. While working there we could not help noticing the huge, old trees on the north-west and south-east corners of the campus and wondering about their origins. In the north-west corner are three impressive oak trees, called the Three Sisters by some folks because they form a tight cluster. Near the tennis court is a very tall shagbark hickory tree. On the opposite corner, at the intersection of Walnut and Limestone Streets, are more huge oak trees and an American beech tree. Just how did those trees get there?
I think I finally found the answer to my question. George Bieri, the Yellow Springs Tree Man who served for many years as Glen Helen manager, told me that he and his father took on the task of measuring and recording the diameters of the largest trees in the village. He is sure he helped to measure the Three Sisters and estimates that those trees are between 350 and 400 years old, as are all the other large trees at Mills Lawn. If so, then they are older than Yellow Springs, and are part of the original, old growth forest on the 600 acres Elisha Mills willed to his son William in 1842. By 1843 William Mills had built on a portion of that land an “imposing mansion,” the largest building in Yellow Springs for the next 100 years (Jane Baker, 2007, William Mills: The Yellow Springs Man, Yellow Springs Historical Society). The house was centered in the large open park known to all as Mills Lawn, and was surrounded by carriage drives, ornamental entrances, gardens with flowers and fruits, and the remaining trees of the original forest. Just think - those old trees whose shade we enjoy today have witnessed the lives and activities of pre-European indigenous peoples, the coming of the railroad, the establishment of Antioch College, and the growth of the town of Yellow Springs.