A Tree Grows in Colonial Heights: ‘It’s 300 years old and has seen an awful lot of history’

WTVR – It has all the makings of a tall tale. They say that down in Colonial Heights, there’s still a living witness to, not just the Civil War, but the American Revolution. As far fetched as that sounds, it’s true.

Sitting high atop a hill in the 300 block of Virginia Avenue, right next to the historic Violet Bank Museum, you’ll find a truly unique tree that, in the words of one arborist, is hiding in plain sight.

Locals call it the ‘Cucumber Tree.’ Technically, it’s a Magnolia acuminate, native to the eastern United States, but very rare this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“This is a remarkable, giant old tree,” said Joel Koci, an urban forestry expert for the Virginia Cooperative Extension. “I like to think it’s 300 years old and has seen an awful lot of history.”