Permission given by The Dawes Arboretum to place cache
Cache is located on free-access, private property
Cache is only available during Arboretum open hours
The John H. Glenn Tree Dedication at The Dawes Arboretum honors one of Ohio’s most famous explorers and public servants. John Herschel Glenn Jr. was born in Cambridge, Ohio, raised in New Concord, and became a Marine Corps pilot, test pilot, astronaut, and U.S. senator.
Glenn was one of NASA’s original Mercury Seven astronauts. On February 20, 1962, he flew aboard Friendship 7 and became the first American to orbit Earth, circling the planet three times and helping prove that the United States could compete in the Space Race.
At The Dawes Arboretum, Glenn’s tree was dedicated by John Glenn himself on May 29, 1968. The tree is a sweetgum, known scientifically as Liquidambar styraciflua, and it can be found near one of the parking lots off the North Loop near State Route 13. The Arboretum notes that the dedication took place despite rainy weather, which Glenn good-naturedly called “most appropriate” for a planting ceremony.
Glenn’s later life added even more meaning to the dedication. He served four terms as U.S. senator from Ohio, and in 1998 returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the oldest person to fly in space at that time.
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About the Dutch Fork Wetlands: Dutch Fork Wetlands is a free access, 70-acre natural area at The Dawes Arboretum. It’s a restored wetland and grassland ecosystem with six pools, meadow habitat, boardwalks, flat gravel and grass trails, an observation deck, and a shelter house. It’s a great spot for a quiet walk, birding, wildlife viewing, and seeing wetland restoration in action.