Situated
on a ridge overlooking the Valley of the Three Forks of the Wolf
River in Fentress County, a beech grove stands as a living
monument to one of Tennessee’s best-loved sons, Sergeant Alvin
York. Alvin York became one of America’s most celebrated
military heroes for capturing 132 German soldiers in the Argonne
Forest of France on October 18, 1918. Sgt. York’s remarkable
feat was rewarded with more than 40 Allied decorations, including
the Congressional Medal of Honor and the French Criox de Guerre.
He returned home a national hero and captured the heart of the
nation.
On June 7, 1919 he married his long-time sweetheart, Miss
Gracie Williams, on a tract of the family farm overlooking the
Wolf River. The Governor of Tennessee, A.H.Roberts, performed the
wedding in front of a crowd of hundreds, many of them traveling
two days or more to witness the famous event. The ceremony was
held on a series of rock ledges that formed a spacious
amphitheater surrounded by large beech trees.
Remnants of that original beech grove remain there today, the
largest being over 108 inches in girth. Many of the trees have
suffered from storm damage and the ravages of time but still stand
as silent witnesses to this historic event.
The beech grove is on family-owned property not far from the
Alvin York burial site and Hwy 127 in Pall Mall.
Originally nominated by Jim Cortese and Steve Roark.
Entered into the Landmark & Historic Tree Register in 2003
as a historic tree.
