The Big Pine

The Big Pine has fallen!

Near the bank of Yellow Leaf Creek,

there lived the Big Pine.

The great towering pine stood for 186 years.

I was told the storms of years past

and too many lightning strikes
severely damaged the Big Pine.

Then came the winter of 2009,

the Big Pine was finally done in.

I never saw the Big Pine,

except in photos, but knew of its meaning.

My dad, Louis Joseph,

and brothers, Douglas and Anthony,
nurtured the Big Pine and
spoke privately and quietly of its value
- not in dollars -
but as an unsolicited treasure and gift.

The Big Pine is symbolic

- perhaps of themselves -
Strong, Sturdy, and Long-lasting.

I guess, sometimes greatness goes unnoticed.

Yet, notoriety was never its purpose.

Gail Joseph Owen
December, 2009

The Big Pine was located on the Joseph Family's land tract, known to them as the Farrell Place. After surviving multiple lightening strikes through the decades, the tree was finally cut in 2009 by the family. According to Alabama's Treasured Forests Association, had this Southern Longleaf Pine been registered it would have been among the leading "Champion Trees" in the Southeast region, based on it's size and age of approximately 186 years old.