Ginkgo symbolizes Union soldier’s will to survive

In front of a small inn in the tiny town of Morgantown, Ind., there is an enormous, living piece of history, and it’s turning 100 this year.

The ginkgo tree in the front yard of the Victorian Rose Inn dominates the property and is the largest object in the vicinity.

Ginkgos are native to Asia, making the massive tree with bright yellow leaves a rarity in central Indiana. But the history of its origin is as unusual as its location.

The tree was brought to Morgantown by Reuben C. Griffitt, who enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War, according to the Victorian Rose Inn’s Web site.

He was captured and held at Andersonville Prison in Georgia, which was famous for its high prisoner death rate. Through his prison window, Griffitt could see a strange tree growing outside, and it gave him hope that someday he would be set free.

When Griffitt was released from prison, he returned to Morgantown and became a physician, according to the Web site. He returned to Georgia when he was asked to erect a memorial for the 630 soldiers who died in Andersonville Prison. While there, he cut a sapling from the tree that he saw from his window while he was imprisoned. He brought the sapling home with him and planted it in his front yard – now the Victorian Rose Inn.

“It’s been there as long as the house has,” said Shelly Deckard, owner of the Victorian Rose Inn and current IU student. “It was such an inspiration for him to watch this little sapling grow from nothing.”

School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Burnell Fischer said ginkgo trees are the oldest known tree species in the world.

“These trees are sort of from a different era,” Fischer said. “There are actually two ginkgo trees south of the student union. One of those is a female tree which produces fruit that has a very distinct odor. You can see people on campus collecting the fruit for its medicinal purposes.”

But unlike the tree by the Indiana Memorial Union, the Morgantown ginkgo does not produce fruit. It does, however, produce a lot of leaves in the fall.

“I love the tree,” Deckard said. “Well, I did until I had to rake up all those leaves. They all just seemed to fall off together.”

Vine and Branch Inc., an arboricultural and horticultural consulting and contracting firm in the Indianapolis area, is currently featuring the ginkgo in its series of “cool trees.”

“The tree caught my eye because ginkgos are native to China, and to have a tree from China in America 100 years ago is pretty impressive,” said Judson Scott, president of Vine and Branch Inc. “This tree takes up just about the whole property.”

The ginkgo at the Victorian Rose Inn is one of the oldest things in Morgantown.

“It’s a sleepy little town, and the tree is kind of the gem of Morgantown,” Scott said. “The ginkgo is like the lungs of the city, breathing air into it.”

Griffitt died when he fell out of the window of his house while watching fireworks. The tree still stands in the yard with a plaque that documents the story of Griffitt and his will to survive.

“It’s kind of a center point for Morgantown. People really look up to it,” said Deckard. “We all have hope in this tree.”