Sassafras Tree

The sassafras tree has been a landmark in Owensboro for much of the city’s history. As early as 1917, local newspaper articles were calling it the “world’s largest,” as designated by Literary Digest. It was not until after its potential destruction in 1957 that the tree gained much of its fame. 

Dr. O.W. Rash bought the property on which the sassafras tree resides in 1928. In the mid 1950s, local officials developed a plan with the state Highway Department to widen Frederica Street. The original plan called for the sassafras tree to be cut down. Grace Rash began a letter campaign to Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler, an old school friend of hers, to save the tree. Chandler instructed the Highway Department to halt its work and begin communicating with the Rashs to find a compromise that would save the tree. A landscaping professor was eventually brought in to work with the Highway Department to come up with a plan that would keep the sassafras alive. 

According to local lore, at one-point Mrs. Rash chased Highway Department workers away from the tree by brandishing a shotgun. This incident, if it occurred, was not reported in the newspaper at the time. The first mention of it was not recorded until about 10 years later, and Mrs. Rash does not make any reference of it in her correspondence with Gov. Chandler available in his archives at the University of Kentucky. The story, however, has become tied to the history of the tree, and is one of the most often recited about it.

In 1968, the tree received a historical marker. The tree has passed through several owners since then, with the E.M. Ford Insurance Company taking over as caretakers after purchasing the property in 1982. 

77m1: Mrs. O.W. Rash correspondence, A.B. Happy Chandler papers, 1900-1985, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Ford, Grace. "Doctor's wife with shotgun to thank for sassafras still standing." Messenger-Inquirer. (Owensboro) March 20th 2013. , D sec, 5-5.

Lawrence, Keith. "Sassafras a survivor." Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro) January 6th 1992. Bicentennial ed, C sec, 1-3.

Owensboro's Sassafras Tree, Visit Owensboro. Accessed April 9th 2020. https://visitowensboro.com/listing/owensboros-sassafras-tree/.

"Sassafras Tree Near Owensboro World's Largest." The Owensboro Messenger (Owensboro) October 21st 1917. Morning ed, B sec, 1-2.