Finding Strength and Solace in a Tree

American Forests Magazine has featured an article called, Finding Strength and Solace in a Tree. The article talks about Evelyn Thompson Lawrence's story about Sallie's Crying Tree. To read the full article see below or click here.

Finding Strength and Solace in a Tree
By: Jeff Kirwan

Evelyn Thompson Lawrence’s story is about Sallie’s Crying Tree, a large white oak growing near the town square in Marion, Virginia. This remarkable woman has spent a lifetime reminding people that this tree — and others like it — represents our history and must be preserved.

Lawrence often says that if the Crying Tree could talk it would tell us that slavery was brutal, that people were sold like horses and dogs, that life was especially hard on black men and women. But it would also tell how valiant people are, how former slaves built communities and how their descendants are today’s leaders.

Marion is not the obvious place to expect this kind of lesson. A small town, it is nestled in the valley between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia. It is a gateway to Jefferson National Forest and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Hungry Mother State Park is nearby. The town is known for its Appalachian culture and music, but not for its once-thriving, African-American community.

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