Salem Garden Club members gathered at Salem’s oldest surviving home to begin celebrations of the club’s 100th year. The Sept. 16 meeting was held at Preston Place built in 1821, on West Main Street. It was the home of the late Dr. Esther Brown, first woman doctor in Salem.
Preston Place Foundation President Dave Robbins told about the structure and history of the house.
The garden club meeting focused on Preston Place garden’s Osage Orange tree next to the house. The tree is recognized as the third largest Osage Orange in Virginia.
Foundation Vice President Whitney Leeson gave insight into Osage Orange trees, whose wood was valued by American Indians for bow-making. The trees were said to have been spread and planted by Thomas Jefferson and other early American historical figures.
“Osage Oranges spread from Arkansas to Virginia along trade routes,” Leeson said. “Osage Native American tribesmen were known to trade a blanket and horse for Osage wood.”
She added, “It is likely Lewis and Clark were connected to the spread of Osage Oranges.”
Small Osage Orange trees, with their wicked thorns, were frequently used in earlier days as fences, she said. Barbed wire replaced Osages for fencing, but their trunks would still be used for posts.
Preston Place’s largest Osage Orange is only two feet behind the state’s biggest tree in its top, the crown, Leeson pointed out.
The Preston Place Foundation is raising money to hire professional care to preserve the big Osage Orange. The wood from any limbs that are trimmed will be used for commemorative items, Dave Robbins said.
Donations for care of the tree may be sent to https://prestonplace.org/donation. They may also be mailed to Preston Place Foundation, P.O. Box 235, Salem, VA 24153.
The gardens were lovingly researched and restored by the late Esther Davis, a member of the Salem Garden Club. Underneath the tree is a plaque dedicated to her that features one of the Monarch Butterflies she loved to hatch and release.
Throughout the next year, members of the Salem Garden Club will hold other events to mark the club’s 100th year. The club was founded in May 1927.
