Historical Chestnut Tree Monument Dedication Ceremony

A special monument will be unveiled at Mills & Mills Memorial Park in honor of two of the largest and oldest living American Chestnut trees in the Unites States. The public dedication ceremony will take place Friday, Feb. 20 at noon and will include Don Trosper, a descendant of the Trosper family, President of the Tumwater Historical Association Corinne Tobeck, and Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet. Premier Memorial, a leading supplier of cemetery and public memorials graciously donated the new monument.

Towering more than 80 feet tall, the two trees were planted by original settlers of Tumwater who brought chestnut seeds from the east coast.  In 1846, Jesse Ferguson planted the two trees on 320 acres he claimed on the Bush Prairie. Today, the trees symbolize the legacy of early Tumwater, one of the first settlements in Washington.