‘Wedding Tree’ Still Stands In Yard

A few years ago, I wrote a series of articles titled, “Famous Trees of Bristol,” for the newsletter of the Bristol Preservation Society. (This organization merged with the Bristol Historical Association several years ago.)
One of these trees is the huge dogwood that is pictured in this article. This picture was made on April 23, 2008, when it was in full bloom. As a side comment, I will state that this has been one of the finest “dogwood years” that I have seen in my 54 years in this city.
This tree, standing near the north side of the yard of old Pleasant Hill, 214 Johnson St., Bristol, Va., has become famous because of its size. It has long been reputed to be the largest dogwood in Bristol. It is estimated to be 40 feet tall and 6 feet around at the base.
It is of the pink variety, and in good years is one great mass of large blossoms. It is a much photographed tree. In blooming time, it is not unusual for me to see a car stopped in the street, in which some person has a camera aimed at the tree.
It is also famous for its age. Certainly, dogwood trees are not known for their longevity. One-half as old as this tree is would be a rarity. We do not have to estimate the age of this tree. This is a very unusual situation, but the year, month, day and hour of its planting are known. All this will be explained in “the rest of the story.”
The story is this: When the tree was planted, Pleasant Hill was occupied by the family of John A. Phillips Sr. (Relationship to this writer is unknown, but all Phillips are said to be related.)
A young man and his sweetheart sought and were granted permission to have their wedding conducted in the Phillips’ yard. I was told that the young man was a relative of some degree to Mrs. Phillips, but my informant did not know the details of this relationship.
The wedding was set for 2 p.m., Saturday, June 4, 1938. It was conducted by the Rev. J. Emerson Hicks, then the pastor of Bristol’s First Baptist Church. The day was bright and balmy – perfect for an outdoor wedding. A large crowd gathered in the yard and on the front porch for the ceremonies.
This young couple wanted to present the Phillips a gift in appreciation for their kindness in allowing the ceremony to be held in their yard. There is a now seldom used custom of planting a wedding tree. This couple did both; they presented a gift and planted a wedding tree at the same time.
Rev. Hicks worked the planting into his regular ceremony. According to my informant, the late Mrs. John A. (Hazel) Phillips Jr., the tree was purchased from the Wood-Howell Nursery, which was then located out on the Abingdon (Lee) Highway.
There was commonly held belief that if the wedding tree flourished and lived long, the marriage would be good and of long duration. That must have been a great marriage.
Certainly, the tree flourished beyond expectation, and it will have been planted 70 years come June 4.

BUD PHILLIPS is a local historian and author. He can be reached at (276) 466-6435.