Common Name: southern magnolia
Scientific Name: Magnolia grandiflora
Category: Historic tree
Comments: A few yards from the corner of Griffin Boulevard and High Stree stand two beautiful magnolia trees. Only a few people in the Farmville area know that these trees came from the grounds of the White House during the administration of President William McKinley. Robert Evans, formerly of Farmville, Virginia, was a groundskeeper at the White House. Evans was the son of a Reconstruction legislator, William D. Evans, and a relative of Reconstruction state senator J.W.D. Bland. One day around the year 1898, Evans was probably told to prune a magnolia tree on the grounds. As he prepared to dispose of the cuttings, he decided to save a few branches as gifts for some of his relatives in Farmville, hoping that the branches would become trees. Seven of these brances did become trees in Farmville. However, five were in the path of Longwood College expansion and only the two remain, both of which will probably meet the same fate. Robert Evans gave two of his magnolia branches to Pompey Bland, w
Nominator: Edna Allen-Dean
This tree is not on public or publicly accessible property. The owner's name, address, and the exact location of the tree are not displayed to protect the privacy of these individuals. If you are the owner and wish to make this information public, please let us know.
County/City: Prince Edward