FYI: The Story Behind the Trees

Did you ever notice trees like these lining the road?

Somewhere near Fort Halifax, Pennsylvania

We did last fall when we went for a short family day trip. My husband and I noticed all of these trees, on both sides of the road planted at regular intervals. And they were big and old, and we didn't know what kind of trees they were (I guess that means we need to study trees this spring).

A quick search for "trees near Fort Halifax" revealed that they are sycamore trees, but not just any prettily placed sycamore trees. No, these trees were planted in 1922 as part of a movement to remember the veterans of World War I. It was a nationwide movement, a "Road to Remembrance"program.

This particular strip of trees, dubbed Sycamore Allee, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are other similar memorials across the country. Another quick internet search revealed that.

So maybe one day in your travels you may come across a bunch of big old sycamore trees, and know you'll know a neat little piece of history.

It's also a chance to remember those who fought a war which, likely, you didn't live through, but which was significant enough to those who lived through it to be nicknamed, "The War to End All Wars."

*This post has been shared with Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth's Art of Home-Making Mondays.