Recently, a project underway with the Pulaski County’s 250th Committee of the American Revolution to document still standing trees with “Revolutionary Roots” stumbled upon an old tree that might have connections to Lewis & Clark instead. The tree in question is located on the property next door to Fotheringay, the home of Colonel George Hancock and his daughter Julia, wife of William Clark. In the early 1800s the tree would have been locate on part of the original land of Fotheringay. The old tree is an Osage Orange, not typically found in Southwest Virginia. However, it is widely known that the Osage Orange trees became popular after the Lewis & Clark expedition since many clippings were brought east with the group on their return trips. Could this be one of those clippings? Another old Osage Orange is located at Historic Smithfield, also in the New River Valley and with ties to the expedition. The large multiple trunk Osage Orange near Fotheringay is still alive and very twisted and split. The one at Smithfield is much more straight in growth.
The Osage Orange trees are named for the Osage Tribe who used the wood for bows and orange due to the vibrant color of the wood. Many people also know the weird fruit and call them horse apples, monkey balls, or brain fruit. The green lumpy fruit contains a latex substance making it nonedible to humans, but the silly squirrels love the sticky fruit. Both Osage Orange trees noted are old enough to have Lewis & Clark ties. If you know of other Osage Oranges at historic sites throughout Virginia that may have connections to Lewis & Clark, please share. We are of course aware of the massive Osage Orange at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, but it is older and appears to have grown naturally in Virginia.
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