| Sources |
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 12 May 2013.
Upland Chronicles: Sevierville Mills was local landmark for a century
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 May 2015.
Upland Chronicles: Andrew Jackson magnolia tree has legendary past
CARROLL MCMAHAN
The southern magnolia tree planted by Andrew Jackson at the South Portico of the White House.
The sapling grown from a cutting of the Andrew Jackson magnolia is in the green space on Bruce Street in downtown Sevierville.
In September 2013, during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the gazebo and green space surrounding the public parking area on Bruce Street, an announcement was made that a tree grown from a cutting off of the majestic White House magnolia tree planted by President Andrew Jackson would be transplanted to the green space.
Later that year the tree, which had been presented to Judge Rex Ogle and wife Judge Norma McGee Ogle Jud by John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia, was planted by the Sevierville Parks and Recreation Department. People looking at the struggling little tree today might not be impressed unless they know the story behind the historic tree. It is a saga, covering more than 180 years, of a tree that began in Tennessee, went to Washington, D.C., as a sprout, then returned to Tennessee as more sprouts and eventually replaced itself at the Hermitage.
According to Dale Haney, the White House horticulturist, the two southern magnolias planted by Andrew Jackson between 1829 and 1837 are the oldest trees on the property. Jackson planted them in honor of his wife, Rachel, who died two weeks after he won the 1828 election and before his inauguration.
Alone, he left their home in Nashville for the White House, and he brought two magnolia saplings from the garden. Magnolias had been Rachel’s favorite tree; Jackson planted them in her memory. The trees still bloom at the South Portico, as seen on the back of the $20 bill.
The actual date of the planting of the tree is in dispute. While it is poignant to think the grieving widower took the sprout when he first went to the White House, it may not have happened that way. The actual date could have been as late as 1835, when Jackson created the White House greenhouse, then known as an orangery. He is known to have brought his own landscape gardener, Will Frost, from the Hermitage in 1834.
Perhaps that is when the sprout was taken from the Hermitage to the White House. Several sources indicate it was planted in 1835, a date that is corroborated by Irvin Williams, head White House gardener.
There is no dispute that the sprout was planted in memory of Rachel Jackson, who died Dec. 22, 1828, after the grueling campaign the won Jackson the presidency. His dear Rachel was the brunt of countless abusive campaign attacks regarding her previous marriage. Jackson was convinced that the harsh treatment caused her death.
Obviously, taking a sprout of that magnolia tree had strong meaning for Andrew Jackson. The majestic tree has held strong meaning for several presidents and their families since. It was a favorite of President Harry S. Truman, and Jackie Kennedy was particularly fond of the tree. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill are said to have sat “underneath the old magnolia tree.”
The tree has been admired by every president since Jackson left office in 1837, and has grown more stately each year. In February 1987, President Ronald Reagan asked Sen. Howard Baker Jr., who had recently retired from the Senate, to serve as White House chief of staff, a position he held until July 1988. When Baker left office to come back home to Huntsville, Tenn., Reagan gave the senator a cutting from old Andy Jackson’s tree to bring back to Tennessee.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 12, 1994, a small plane crashed through the branches of the old magnolia and came to rest in a crumpled heap two stories below the Clintons’ bedroom. The red-and-white Cessna glided over treetops, passed the fountain and bounced off the grass just short of the White House. Thus, the magnolia branches averted damage to the White House.
That same year, Museum of Appalachia founder John Rice Irwin was lunching at Baker’s home when he noticed the tall magnolia. After hearing the story of the tree’s history, and seeing the picture on the back of a $20 bill. Irwin requested a cutting, and Baker arranged for two cuttings to be rooted and sent to him.
In 1995, the two cuttings were presented to Irwin in a formal ceremony with Baker presiding. The trees were planted in front of the Museum’s Hall of Fame and are now close to 40 feet tall. This event received nationwide publicity.
On April 16, 1998, at least 10 tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee. Three of them touched down in Nashville, causing significant damage to the downtown and East Nashville areas. A tornado, rated F3, passed through the grounds of the Hermitage. Over a thousand trees were blown down at Andrew Jackson’s home. Some of those trees were well over 200 years old, with a few having been planted by Jackson himself. Among the casualties was the southern magnolia from which Rachel’s husband had taken the cutting to the White House.
Remembering the articles on the 1995 Museum of Appalachia event, officials at the Hermitage requested a cutting from the museum magnolia to replace the original tree. The Hon. Lewis Donelson, a descendant of Jackson’s adopted son, officiated at the setting of the tree. The young sprout provided by the museum in 1998 is now a tree taller than 35 feet.
The Ogles obtained the cutting that they presented to the city of Sevierville from the Museum of Appalachia. Hopefully the struggling little sapling will mature to be admired by future generations along with other southern magnolias in downtown Sevierville, an official Tree City USA. They include the century-old gnarled magnolia planted by Dixie Lee Chandler Bowers in her yard, which is now the lawn of the Sevier County Heritage Center, and the ancient, perfectly shaped magnolia on the west side of the Sevier County Board of Education building.
Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce and serves as Sevier County historian.
The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics or would like to submit a column, contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1900.
Name: Dixie L Bowers
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1900
Event Place: ED 139 Civil District 5 (north, east part), Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Birth Date: Feb 1864
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Race: White
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 3
Marriage Year (Estimated): 1897
Mother of how many children: 2
Number of Living Children: 2
Immigration Year:
Page: 2
Sheet Letter: A
Family Number: 22
Reference ID: 5
GS Film number: 1241595
Digital Folder Number: 004118729
Image Number: 00438
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head William Bowers M 31 Tennessee
Wife Dixie L Bowers F 36 Tennessee
Son Gordon Bowers M 2 Tennessee
Daughter Agnes W Bowers F 0 Tennessee
Sister Lula Bowers F 17 Tennessee
Mother-in-law Adella C Chaudler F 77 Tennessee
- [S77] Rawlings Funeral Home Records 1911-1995, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 11 Feb 1925.
Bowers, Mrs W A 62-0-5 Feb 11, 1925 Mrs Dixie Lee
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 153.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: William Augustus Bowers
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name: Dixie Lee Chandler
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date: 18 Nov 1896
Event Place: , Sevier, Tennessee
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
Race:
Marital Status:
Previous Wife's Name:
Spouse's Race:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M51968-4
System Origin: Tennessee-VR
GS Film number: 969967
Reference ID: 2:2B66MGC
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