Name/Title
Tree Planting CeremonyEntry/Object ID
2007.6.25Description
Postcard containing four color images. The top left image is plaque while the bottom left image shows a man shoveling dirt on a tree. The large image on the right shows a man speaking at an outdoor event. There are numerous people sitting on benches at the event. A band can be seen on the left side of this image and the rear of a monument of a man on a horse can be seen nearby. The caption at bottom reads: "Tablet identifies the cork oak tree planted and dedicated by Honorable Olin D. Johnston, Governor of South Carolina, on the State Capitol grounds in Columbia, S.C.--Mr. A.C. Flora, Superintendent of Columbia City Schools introducing the Governor." There is no postmark or script present.Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
South Carolina State HouseCity
Columbia, South CarolinaContext
This postcard depicts a state Arbor Day tree planting ceremony that took place on the South Carolina State House grounds on December 3, 1943. In contrast to National Arbor Day, which takes place on the last Friday of April, South Carolina’s state Arbor Day is celebrated on the first Friday of December—when newly planted trees are more likely to flourish in the subtropics.
The tree pictured here is a “Quercus suber,” otherwise known as a cork oak. On average, the cork oak grows up to 49 feet tall and, if chopped down, can be used to make flooring, bulletin boards, bottle stoppers, and soles of shoes. Following a cork shortage during World War II, planting cork trees was seen as a sign of local and national self-sufficiency. For this reason, South Carolinians were proud to be the first of many states to plant a cork oak tree on their State House grounds for Arbor Day. During his address, which is pictured on the right, Governor Olin D. Johnston (1896–1965) suggested that this tree should be the first of many, declaring “All over our nation, trees are being planted, and this is a symbol of what should be done day after day to assure the coming generations of an abundance of forests and hospitable lands.”
This postcard was designed at least three years after the tree planting ceremony. In 1946, the Crown Cork & Seal Company of Baltimore paid to replace the original plastic commemorative sign with the bronze and granite marker depicted on the upper lefthand side of the image.Postcard Details
Postcard Type
Linen (1930-1945)Publisher
Tichnor Bros., Inc.Date Published
circa 1944Dimensions
Width
3-1/2 inLength
5-1/2 in
