By Hannah Poling
Staff Writer
Little Tree Library creator Bill Dawson poses with his creation on May 20 at the Ebenezer Cemetery. The Little Tree Library contains books for members of the community, play dough for kids, games, and more.
On May 20, the Pleasant Township trustees along with members of the community attended a ribbon cutting and dedication of a Little Tree Library at the Ebenezer Cemetery.
Earlier this year, one of the huge century-old white oak trees died in the cemetery and Bill Dawson, who lives nearby as well as a number of other residents, have turned the remains of the old oak tree into a little tree library.
Dawson said when the tree died, he began looking online for ideas of how to utilize the tree and found a picture of a similar tree library. As soon as he saw that idea, he knew that’s what he wanted to do in Pleasant Township.
Dawson had the tree cut down, leaving enough of the trunk (12 feet) to make shelves with a glass door. The library also has a tin roof with solar lights. It contains a vast assortment of books for members of the community to read, play dough, and coloring books with crayons, games, and even seeds to plant.
“Maybe people will come out with their kids, read with their kids, play a board game or some cards, and reflect on the veterans who served,” Dawson said.
The Ebenezer M.E. Cemetery in Pleasant Township is the final resting place for some veterans from several wars dating back to the Revolutionary War. The cemetery also holds veterans that served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWII.
“I have been voluntarily enhancing and maintaining the landscape beautification of this 1800s cemetery for the last 35 years to honor the veterans who are buried there,” said Dawson.
Nancy Hunter, a Pleasant Township trustee, called the amount of time, hours, and work that Dawson put into the project “remarkable.”
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially the creator, Bill Dawson. Pleasant Township appreciates each and every one of you,” Hunter said at the dedication ceremony.
Dawson said that he is pleased with how the library turned out and hopes it is well utilized by the community for years to come.
