Happy Birthday, America! In honor of 250 years since 1776, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semi quincentennial (America 250) has chosen a different theme each month to highlight and celebrate Ohio’s rich history. Each month, The Dawes Arboretum’s History Team will be dropping a new collection to our archives that align with those themes. This month for Ohio Outdoors: Exploring Ohio’s Natural Resources, we’re highlighting two trees that are meaningful to The Arboretum.
Two eastern white pines were used for Beman and Bertie Dawes as the ninth and tenth Tree Dedicators at Dawes. Tree Dedications began before The Arboretum was officially dedicated in 1929.
Visitors can find Beman’s tree on the North Auto Tour near State Route 13. It’s the original tree, and a lightning rod was installed in 2024 to protect it.
Bertie’s original tree died, but it was propagated to create the one that now grows near the Daweswood House Museum.
Tree Dedications at The Arboretum are chosen by The Board of Trustees to “honor individuals or groups of outstanding achievement in the stream of human history, or events of significance to The Dawes Arboretum.”
Beman sent a letter to one of his children asking if they would write a letter dedicated to Bertie that would be read during the tree planting. All five letters are available in the Archive Drop this month, but here’s a sneak peek from each child’s letter.
- Cutler – “You said in your letter that you didn’t want us to say anything of you, but that would not do justice to you who have given us every opportunity within your power to become real men, and my appreciation for all you have done must be expressed however poorly or not of place.”
- C. Burr – “We can only realize that everything that is beautiful in our lives, is merely the intimate reflection of her character. Nature is the source and home of beauty.”
- Dorothy – “It’s a wonderful thing for you to have collected trees from all over the world, and to have nurtured them so carefully, and to dedicate them to others to enjoy and benefit by.”
- Gates – “An occasion such as this will have a much greater significance than any of us can visualize. No one of us can conceive of the unlimited potentialities of this project.”
- Henry – “You both have instilled in this place your love of nature, of trees, birds, flowers, and animals. You will both live on in Daweswood, and your personalities will be reflected in every nook and corner.
The Arboretum has dedicated over 100 trees since Beman and Bertie’s dedication! To learn how to find a specific Tree Dedication, please visit our blog here. To see the list of trees that have been dedicated at The Arboretum, please view here.
To see these archival materials and more on the digital archive, click this link or go to the Advanced Search page and type out “America 250-Ohio” in Search Terms to view the entire collection. For questions concerning the digital archive, please email daweshistory@dawesarb.org.
Are you interested in doing in-person research at The Arboretum? Do you have a history question that you can’t find the answer online? Don’t hesitate to use the Department’s History Research Request Form, where you can get answers to all your Dawes history-related questions and research requests.