In 1946, the newly formed Athens Junior Ladies Garden Club was in search of an idea for a first project. A young man by the name of Dan Magill, whose mother was a member of the club, suggested the women plant a tree for their project. But not just any tree.

As most Athenians, young Magill was aware of the story of "The Tree That Owns Itself."

The tale dated back to 1890 when the Athens Banner, predecessor to today's Athens Banner-Herald, reported that Col. William Jackson, a professor at the University of Georgia, had willed possession of his favorite tree and eight feet of earth around it to the tree itself. It was said that Jackson left the tree to itself because of the love he had developed for the large white oak over the years.

As a child, he had played many a day underneath the tree's ample shade, and he had continued to visit the tree, located at the corner of Finley and Dearing streets, many times as an adult, whenever he needed a quiet place to read or relax.

In 1906, several years after Jackson died, philanthropist George F. Peabody -- famous today for the Peabody Awards given annually in his name -- donated a marble marker to the tree. The marker informed passers-by of the tree's unique history.

The Tree That Owns Itself stood for many years after the first stories of its ownership of itself began to surface, and it continued to attract a steady flow of curious visitors as the decades passed.

However, as all things must, Jackson's beloved tree died in 1942 after being blown over in a windstorm. The 150-year-old tree had suffered for some time from root disease, and the high winds proved more than it could bear.

For four years after the fall, the site marked by Peabody's marble monument stood empty except for the weeds that soon took over. It was in this same empty plot of land that Magill wanted his mother's garden club to plant a tree in 1946.

The members of the club took up Magill's suggestion, and soon had spread the word about town that they were looking for a descendant from the famous oak to plant in its place. As it turned out, there was more than one family in possession of progeny from the original tree.

The club chose a sapling belonging to Capt. and Mrs. Jack Watson because of its size and likelihood for survival. The Watsons' tree was said to have been grown from an acorn that had fallen from The Tree That Owned Itself.

On Dec. 4, 1946, the tiny tree, standing three feet above ground, was planted in the same spot its parent had occupied for a century and a half. Athens Mayor Bob McWhorter christened the seedling at an official ceremony, and when all was said and done, the town again was home to a Tree That Owns Itself. More than 50 years have passed since the replanting. The white oak now stands 50 feet tall and is one of the most popular attractions for tourists and new residents to the Classic City.

At noon on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 1996, the present-day Junior Ladies Garden Club threw a party for the golden anniversary of The Tree That Owns Itself.

Magill, the youngster who suggested replanting the tree more than a half-century ago, served as master of ceremonies for the event, which was held at the site of the tree near the intersection of Finley and Dearing.