Happy Birthday America! In honor of 250 years since 1776, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250) has chosen a different theme each month to highlight and celebrate Ohio’s rich history. Each month, The Arboretum’s History team will be dropping a new collection to our archives that aligns with America and Ohio’s 250th anniversary monthly theme! This month, we’re celebrating Ohio’s First and Originals, or individuals from Ohio who have made unique contributions to history.
Two individuals who rose above the rest (both of them – literally) are Orville Wright, one of the inventors of the first powered airplanes, and John H. Glenn, the first American astronaut to make an orbital space flight around the Earth. While many know about their ties to Ohio, you may not know that both of these individuals have deep roots at The Arboretum (literally) through tree dedications.
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.” Tree dedication began as planting new trees each time a new person was dedicated but transformed into carefully selecting trees that are already showing promise of a healthy and long life.
Orville Wright’s Dedication
Orville Wright dedicated his own tree on October 16, 1935 as The Arboretum’s 38th tree dedication. It’s a white oak tree - its official name is ‘Quercus alba.’ His tree can be found off the Parkwoods trail near the iconic Daweswood House Museum.
Wright’s whole speech is available on the archive drop, but here’s a snippet: “May this tree live and grow to add a bit to the interest and usefulness of the arboretum.”
Wright’s tree was rededicated in 2017 by his great grand niece, Amanda Wright Lane.
John H. Glenn’s Dedication
John H. Glenn’s tree was dedicated by himself on May 29, 1968. The tree is a sweet gum - its official name ‘Liquidambar styraciflua.’ His tree can be found near one of the parking lots off the North Loop near State Route 13.
“That was indeed an enjoyable afternoon, in spite of the rain, and I guess we can always look on the bright side and say the rain was a most appropriate thing for a planting ceremony.”
To find these trees digitally, use our tool: Arboretum Explorer. To search for these trees:
- Go to Arboretum Explorer
- Click on ‘Features’
- Click ‘Tree Dedicators’ on the dropdown menu ‘Type’
- Search for specific individuals, or view the whole collection
Several photographs, correspondence, telegrams and ephemera from these tree dedications have been digitized and are now available to the public on The Arboretum’s digital archive!
To see these materials, go to the Digital Archive. For questions concerning the digital archive, please email daweshistory@dawesarb.org.
Are you interested in in-person research at The Arboretum? Do you have a history question that you can’t find the answer to online? Don’t hesitate to use the Department’s History Research Request Form, where you can get answers to all of your historical-related questions and research requests.