In The 1870s Trees Began Growing On The Roof Of This Indiana Courthouse And Nobody Knows Why
By Tori Jane|Published April 26, 2021
×
Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Okay, so, maybe this isn’t the first oddity in Indiana we’ve covered here at Only In Your State. We’ve covered places where gravity forgets how to do its job, places where ghosts and restless spirits may roam, places that have been abandoned and are shrouded in mystery, and much more – but we’re not sure we’ve discussed trees growing on the roofs of county buildings very often. In Decatur County, Indiana, there is an old courthouse where something strange has been happening since the 1800s – a tree, or family of trees – have made themselves very much at home…on the roof.
The courthouse was built in 1854, but it didn't take long for things to get a little weird.
First, it grew into a shrub. After some time, it because evident that it was, in fact, a tree. Upon closer inspection, four more were found up there, bringing the total to five.
Advertisement
It was literally like a tiny grotto that just so happened to be growing 110 feet above the ground (and on a building).
In 1888, in the interest of avoiding damage to the building, several of the sprigs were removed, but two were allowed to remain. One of them reached 15 feet in height over the years, however, it eventually died - and it was relocated to a local county museum.
Both this new tree and the successfully-grown one prior to it were on corners of the tower instead of on broad sides. It's entirely possible that airborne pollens and conditions merged at the right place at the right time to result in this unusual sight not once, not twice, but more than five times - however, we're not quite sure. It's been a head-scratcher for over a century.
Eventually, Purdue University got their hands on a cutting from the legendary Decatur County Courthouse tree.
They determined that the tree is a Mulberry tree and, like every other tree in the area, it does its thing year after year - blooming in the spring, shedding its leaves in fall - and, by all observations, it appears to live a normal life despite its highly unusual choice of foundation.
The strange courthouse rooftop trees have attracted visitors from all over the country for a literal century.
We can't say we blame them; it's definitely not every day that one notices trees growing from the tops of courthouse roofs. As of this writing, there are two trees growing up there now, and it's not known just what it is about that spot that is so ideal for them.
They do get first dibs of sunlight, rainwater, and other necessities being up so high, so that must be a contributing factor in their thriving.
Either way, we're all here for it. When it comes to oddities, this particular oddity in Indiana is probably one of our favorites - though we might be a little biased, of course.
So, what do you think? Is that weird, or is that weird? Do you know why this family of Mulberry trees has thrived here for so long? Tell us your theories in the comments.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
