Focus on the Farm – Oregon Heritage Tree, the Hanley Farm Willow- by Pamela Sasseen, Hanley Farm Volunteer
The holidays are over! Here’s hoping your Christmas and New Year celebrations were as nice as ours. As part of your holiday celebrations, did you stop by Hanley Farm for some fresh-baked cookies and warm cider? Many folk did, and those who weren’t involved with making a Christmas wreath, were either warming themselves by our “bucket” fire, or taking a tour of the Hanley Farmhouse. It was really cold! But the friendly people who joined us and the warm cider certainly tempered the cool temperatures. Thanks to all of you who celebrated with us at the farm. Let’s do it again next year!
Hanley Farm Stone Springhouse
As the excitement of the holidays wind down, I’ve spent some time at the farm, walking about. Have you ever noticed the beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers we have? In my meanderings, I paused by the stone springhouse and noted the Oregon Heritage Tree plaque that reads, in part, “Hanley Farm Willow, Age: 148 years, Salix babylonica…In 1860, Martha Hanley planted this weeping willow to commemorate the birth of her son…The willow cutting was obtained from the Luelling Nursery…” and goes on to say the cutting the tree grew from was delivered to Martha by a friend, who stuck it in a “…potato to keep it from drying out.” I got to thinking about the Luellings and all, and decided to learn, as the saying goes, the rest of the story.
In 1847, Henderson Luelling, his wife and eight children prepared to leave their Iowa home to head for Oregon. However, Henderson wouldn’t leave without taking his nursery business with him. His friends told him he was “…Crazy! Those trees will never live. And besides, the wagon will be too heavy.” Ignoring the nay-sayers, Luelling, his family in one wagon, and 700 trees, shrubs and vines in the other, began their trek to Oregon. They eventually settled in the Willamette Valley, where they built their home, planted their orchard, and began their nursery. It is from the Luelling Nursery that, in 1860, Kit Kearney, former Pony Express rider and friend to Martha Hanley, obtained the willow cutting. He stuck it in a potato so it wouldn’t dry out in his saddlebag as he traveled from the Luelling Nursery to deliver the cutting to Martha.
Martha planted the slip beside the stone house. It’s been there since, albeit not entirely peacefully, throughout the years. Legend has it that the tree lost a branch whenever a Hanley family member passed on. In fact, in 1940, not long after Alice Hanley’s death, the tree “…settled back into the earth after it partially gave way to gravity.”
The Hanley Willow was designated as an Oregon heritage tree in 2008. The Heritage Tree Program, which began in 1995 under the auspices of the Travel Information Council, is the first state-sponsored heritage tree program in the country. The program is designed to increase public awareness of the significant contribution of trees to Oregon’s history. We thank the Heritage Tree Committee for including our Hanley Willow in their program!
Mysteries in Our Backyard!
Local history mysteries were solicited in December to be included in the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society (RVGS) and Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) “Mysteries in Our Backyard” project. Now people may claim a mystery to solve from the “Mysteries in Our Backyard” website (www.mysteries.jcheritage.org). To learn more about how to research, local history detectives can attend our “Mysteries Lecture Series.”
February 25, 9:30am-11:00am
“Using the Local Library for Research, Including Old Newspapers”
Melinda Henningfield will help you find original records that add so much to your search results.
Jackson County Library System Medford Library, Adams Room
205 S. Central Avenue, Medford
(Please call RVGS @ 541-512-2340 or SOHS @ 541-858-1724 for more information.)
For more information about Hanley Farm or upcoming events, call us at 541-773-2675; e-mail us at hanleyfarm@sohs.org; visit us on-line at www.sohs.org/properties/hanley-farm; or check out our Hanley Farm Facebook page!