Home History A tree, a legend

A tree, a legend

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No one goes to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill without hearing about the old Davie Poplar. It’s right there for all to see, right in the middle of campus.

Legend has it that the tree was planted by American Revolutionary War General William R. Davie when he selected the site of the young nation’s first public university in 1792. (Actually, it was a committee of five who selected the site but that messes up the legend!)

The Davie Poplar has withstood fire, hurricanes and lightning strikes. But never fear, we now have Davie Jr. and Davie III.

Ron Smith, S&A Communications

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