![]() ![]() In 1926, just 25 years after Oliver Kile bought the property under the tree, his daughter began her decades-long campaign to protect it. "It was significant enough in his life that his funeral was held there," Barnett told me.Īnd it was significant enough to the family that Oliver Kile's daughter emerged as the tree's first sentry. His funeral, held by veterans of the Union Army, took place beneath the oak tree that first captured Oliver Kile's eyes when he moved to Irvington. Among his ministries he became active in the temperance movement.īy the time the married Oliver and Sarah Kile arrived in Irvington, Beechwood Avenue included only a few homes, Barnett said. That began changing in the 1920s. His service included, Barnett said, time under General William Tecumseh Sherman's command during his March to the Sea in Georgia.Īfter his discharge from service, Oliver Kile returned to Ohio, Barnett said. Oliver Kile had served the Union in the Civil War. He bought the lot for $350, according to Barnett, who also is a Marion County historian for the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau. He decided he wanted to build his home there. It was 1901, just 31 years after Irvington was first platted as a suburb to Indianapolis. Oliver Kile, a retired reverend from Ohio, arrived and saw the oak tree. Back then, Irvington's homes were being built amid a forested landscape of beech, ash and oak trees, Barnett said. Indianapolis' population had been booming in the decades following the Civil War. The modern story of the Kile Oak begins at the start of the 20th Century. Union veteran and evangelist comes to Irvington There's also speculation that the tree's extensive root system may have tapped into underground springs, allowing the tree to drink and remain healthy even during dry summers.īut to truly understand why the Kile Oak continues towering in Indianapolis while other trees have been cleared in the name of progress, you have to learn about the tree's history.Īnd how one Indianapolis family - the Kiles - protected it. ![]() An arborist told me that bur oaks are resistant to fire and drought. True, some of its hardiness can be attributed to the tree's species, which is a bur oak. ![]()
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