Walden Woods Weeping Willow
 
Henry David Thoreau spent two years beside Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, seeking a spiritually fulfilling relationship with the natural world.  "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head," he wrote.  Throeau left organized society in 1845 "to watch the progress of the seasons."  His journal notes and observations, published in "Walden," have provided a timeless source of naturalist inspiration since 1845.  Today, Thoreau is recognized as the father of modern environmentalism.  The woods surrounding the pond have been preserved in his honor.  This tree was grown from a cutting taken from a weeping willow at Walden Woods.

The Walden Woods Weeping Willow was planted by the Hawthorne Elementary School students in 1995.  It was planted on Hawthorne School grounds south of the school building.

The cutting was purchased from American Forests & Historic Trees, an organization dedicated to preserving our environment and teaching people about our national heritage.

The cutting was obtained from The Walden Woods Project, a not-for-profit land conservation organization that was founded in 1990. The mission of the Walden Woods Project is two-fold: to protect land of ecological and historic significance surrounding Walden Pond, the famed retreat of author/philosopher Henry D. Thoreau; and to support the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods and its educational initiatives related to the study of the environment and the humanities.
 

© Riddle Elementary School, Mattoon, IL - 2006