ARBORICULTURE 



A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



Published in the Interest of the 

 International Society of Arboriculture 



Subscription $1.00 per annum. 



JOHN P. BROWN, Editor and Publisher. 



Entered as Second-class Matter, January 4th, 1904. 



Vol. VI. 



CoNNERSviLLE, Indiana, July, 1907. 



Number 4. 



The Monument of a Nobleman. 



On the "Old Elm Farm" adjoining the 

 city of Connersville, in Fayette County, 

 Indiana, is a remarkable grove oi forest 

 trees w'hich were planted by Hon. Sam- 

 uel W. Parker a few weeks before his 

 death, which occurred in 1859. 



All members of Mr. Parker's family 

 are gone, and few of the oldest citizens 

 have any recollections of the man who 

 did much to make Indiana and his home, 

 Connersville, during the early years of 

 the past century. 



We briefly sketch his life, and offer a 

 tribute to his memory, as we deduct some 

 valuable lessons from the grove, which is 

 his living monument. 



Samuel W. Parker was born Septem- 

 ber 9, 1805, at Watertown, New York. 

 At the age of 10 years, with his guardian, 

 he removed to Cincinnati. In 1825 

 Parker entered Miami University, at Ox- 

 ford, Ohio, graduating in 1828, soon 

 afterward settling at Connersville. 



In 1830 he became principal of the old 

 seminary, which was on the site of the 

 present Fifth Street school building. 

 While in this capacity, Parker showed 

 his taste for forest trees by planting 

 many as shade trees about the seminary 

 grounds. He was admitted to the Bar 

 in 183 1, practicing in various courts 

 throughout the State. 



In 1830-31 Parker edited the Clarion 



supporting the Whig candidate, Henry 

 Clay. 



From 1834 to 1836 he edited the 

 JVatchnian. In 1849 he was elected to 

 Congress from the Sixth Indiana District 

 as a Whig, and served from 185 1 to 



1855. 



At the time of his death, in 1859, Mr. 

 Parker was President of the Junction 

 (C, H. & D.) Railway and also the 

 White Water Canal Company, both of 

 which improvements he was instrumental 

 in carrying tO' a successful termination. 



Mr. Parker's home for ten years was 

 the Old Elm Farm, so called from the 

 solitar}' giant elm tree which stood in 

 front of his elegant residence. 



On a slight elevation at the rear oi his 

 former home he was buried. A simple 

 marble shaft, on which is inscribed the 

 one word Parker, marks his grave. 



But this splendid grove is a far more 

 fitting monument to his memory than is 

 the marble, which gives no information 

 or history,, while the trees record the 

 tastes and character of the noble planter. 



'Mr, Parker, selecting the old elm as 

 a center, surrounded it with one hundred 

 forest trees, together occupying half an 

 acre area. This was the crowning act 

 of his life. 



From a colleague in Congress Mr. 

 Parker obtained information regarding 



