Picked up TB at Muscatatuck Park in Vernon, Indiana. Will take it about 25 miles north to my home town, Greensburg, Indiana. Grensburg is a community of about 10,000, small but still large enough. Indianapolis is 50 miles west on I-74 and Cincinnati is 50 miles east on I-74. Greensburg is known for its World Famous Courthouse Tower Tree. Photo attached.
History of tree: Early in the 1870s, citizens noticed what seemed to be a small sprig on the northwest corner of the Courthouse tower. Soon it became evident that the small sprig was growing. So too was interest in the phenomenon. Residents regarded the growth as a rare freak of nature. That explanation was quickly refuted by the appearance on more sprouts on the tower. Finally, five were counted, making a small grove growing at an altitude 110 feet above courthouse lawn level. County officials became fearful the trees might cause permanent damage to the tower roof. In 1888, a steeplejack was employed to help workers ascend the building and remove some of the shrubs. Of the two remaining, one attained a height of about 15 feet with a diameter of almost five inches at the base. This tree continued to weather the storms of different seasons for years. At the same time, another tree made an appearance on the southeast corner of the tower, and in a few years grew to a considerable height. And during its maturation, another tree sprung up on the southwest corner. These two new trees endured, as did the county’s legacy as the home of the Courthouse tree. Over time, the process has been repeated, leaving a tree sitting atop the Courthouse for more than 130 straight years. The tree you see today is No. 11 in the long line of Courthouse trees. The Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D.C. was called upon for a scientific classification. The determination: the trees were large tooth aspens. No definitive explanation has been offered as to how the seeds of the first trees found their way to their lofty position. One thing is known; the spring in the clock has kept the trees watered.
Will place TB in Bug Depot on I-74 so it can catch a ride east or west. This should be just in time for start of school.
ProfEngineer