Bush butternut tree
The Bush butternut tree is a butternut tree in Tumwater, Washington, planted in 1845 by George Washington Bush, an African-American veteran of the War of 1812 who became a pioneer of the Puget Sound region and founder of the city of Tumwater.[2] The tree is thought to be the oldest butternut in the United States and possibly the oldest in the world.[3][4][5] Historians are divided on whether Bush brought a seed or seedling with him from Missouri in the United States to the Puget Sound area, then in Oregon Country.[6]
Bush butternut | |
---|---|
Species | Butternut (Juglans cinerea) |
Location | Tumwater, Washington, United States |
Coordinates | 46°58′05″N 122°52′55″W |
Date seeded | 1845 | (planted)
Custodian | Ray Gleason (arborist)[1] |
Website | bushprairiefarm |
The original tree stands on Bush's homestead, now Bush Prairie Farm and a land trust, near Olympia Airport.[4] In 2009, a tree grown from an seed of the original tree was planted on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington.[7][2] Another was planted at Washington State University in Eastern Washington in 2014.[5] Another was planted in Centralia, Washington, in 2017, commemorating its founder George Washington, another African-American settler, and his namesake President George Washington.[1]
References
- Brian Mittge (November 17, 2017), "History Takes Root: Tree Sapling From Pioneer George Bush Planted at Fort Borst Park", The Chronicle, Centralia, Washington
- Historic campus tree to be treated for pest, Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, March 21, 2016
- "Historic Bush butternut tree damaged by weekend windstorm", The Olympian, Olympia, Washington, September 1, 2015
- Bush Prairie Farm – now protected forever, Capitol Land Trust, August 23, 2017
- "Tree planting at WSU will end with a bang", WSU News (blog), Pullman, Washington: Washington State University, April 17, 2014
- "Sapling or seed - how did the Butternut tree arrive in Tumwater?", George Washington Bush - Washington State Pioneer (Online document), Washington Secretary of State
- John Dodge (April 2, 2009), "Sapling of historic tree joins Capitol landscape", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon
External links
- Bush butternut tree at Bush Prairie Farm official website