Son of Tree That Owns Itself by Bloodfox/Public Domain

According to legend, a man from Georgia, US, loved his white oak tree so much he gave it ownership of itself. But is it too good to be true?

The Tree That Owns Itself - you can’t deny it has a good ring to it. You can practically hear the tree say ”get off my branches, you don’t own me”. However, it’s actually a very rare occurrence, and only a few trees have ever gotten the honour as far as we (and the internet) know of. The most famous one is located in Athens, Georgia - and this is where our story begins. The earliest-known telling of the tree's tale comes from a front-page article titled "Deeded to Itself" in the Athens Weekly Banner of August 12, 1890. Here we can read about a white oak tree (also called the Jackson tree) which was granted a plot of land 8 feet in radius by its owner, William H. Jackson. He loved it so dearly that upon his death he granted it its autonomy. Good guy William. According to the newspaper article, the official deed reads:

For and in consideration of the great love I bear this tree and the great desire I have for its protection for all time, I convey entire possession of itself and all land within eight feet of the tree on all sides. William H. Jackson