RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN -The tree stands just over 90 feet tall and has a nearly equal span, reaching about 84 and a half feet. It was originally born on a plantation located on Highway 231 South and then donated to the county by Alfred Miller.
For the next 165 years, the grand Sycamore tree on the Rutherford County Courthouse lawn stood as a silent sentinel, its branches cradling the secrets of a town and the whispers of history. It watched with unwavering patience as the original courthouse rose from the ground in 1859, its roots sinking deep into the soil, anchoring it to a world that would change time and again.
The Sycamore bore witness to the tumult of the Civil War in the 1860s, when gunfire echoed through its leaves, and soldiers sought refuge in its shade, at the time reaching about 10 to 12-feet tall. It stood steadfast as Federal forces arrested townsfolk and executed them by firing squad, its bark absorbing the sorrow of those dark days. When Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest stormed the town in July of 1862, the Sycamore watched as Federal troops fired from the courthouse, its limbs swaying in the chaos as the building was overtaken.
The tree also embraced moments of joy, its branches offering a canopy to banjo pickers during the first Uncle Dave Macon Banjo Pickin' Contest in 1978, a tradition that blossomed into Uncle Dave Macon Days. In 1996, the Sycamore became the backdrop for the inaugural JazzFest concert, its leaves rustling in time with the music, a dance that continued for the next 25 years. During that time and well into the 2000s, whittlers sat beneath its long branches cutting and carving small chunks of wood that had fallen from its limbs.
But the Sycamore was not without its tragedies in the 1900s. In 1913, it stood tall as an EF-3 tornado tore through Murfreesboro, missing the courthouse by a mere fifty feet, its roots clinging to the earth in defiance. A decade later, in 1923, it witnessed the tragic fall of a young man who had claimed to be the "human fly." He ascended the courthouse with only his hands and feet, but on his descent, he slipped, and the Sycamore’s leaves shivered as the man fell to his death, his name forever unknown.
As the years turned to decades, the Sycamore grew old, its branches heavy with the weight of history. But time is unforgiving, even to giants. After 165 years, the day came when the Sycamore’s life met its end. On a quiet Tuesday, the tree that had seen so much was brought down. Several residents who have grown up in the area gathered around taking photos, while others picked up logs that had been cut from its branches, carrying the remains to their car... perhaps to turn it into something beautiful to better remember the old fella? The remainder of the tree will eventually turn to dust, but its spirit forever rooted in the memories of those who knew its story.
Local historian Bill Jakes commented on the old witness tree... Jakes told WGNS that the Miller family, whose descendants are still here today, planted the tree in front of the courthouse.
- As seen in the photo, a crew from DAVEY worked to safely take the tree down, limb by limb.
