Ben, Evan and Cara Fisher wrap a yellow ribbon around and around the burr oak in their front yard. The tree’s trunk measures 227 inches in circumference.

The Humble Tree

Two years ago, Todd and Joann Fisher realized their dream of owning an old brick house on a hunk of land in the country. Their dream-come-true, located five miles southwest of London on Route 42, came with a bonus: a 91-foot tall burr oak standing smack dab in the middle of their deep front yard.

“When we saw the house, the tree was one of the things that sold us on the property,” said Joann.

The tree, estimated to be at least 250 years old, is Madison County’s Heritage Tree of 2012. Each year since 2009, the Madison County Master Gardeners have designated one tree as a Heritage Tree to raise awareness of the value and history of the county’s big, old trees.

“We want to encourage people to plant trees and appreciate what the old ones have been through,” said West Jefferson Master Gardener Teresa Woodard.

The Fishers have enjoyed learning about their property and imagining what their mighty burr oak has “seen.” The house was built in 1879 by the Bonner family, for whom a nearby crossroad is named. Several generations of three different families have since called it home. The Fishers, including their children Ben, 12, Evan, 8, and Cara, 7, make the fourth family.

“We have people stop by who grew up here or who have relatives who went to school in the one-room schoolhouse that still stands on the property,” Joann said. Descendants of the second family to live in the home still own the adjacent farmland.

But a house that’s 133 years old is one thing. A tree that tops 250 years in age is another.