The Hawkins Maple Tree: Perhaps Itawamba's Most Photographed Tree

For generations, the old Hawkins sugar maple tree (click photograph for larger version)has ushered in November with a spectacular show of autumn colors. The huge maple was planted probably during 1939 when the Robert C. Hawkins Cotswold Cottage style home was built on the lot (Block 14 of the original Inside Donation of Fulton purchased from the Sargent Prentiss Howard estate by R.C. Hawkins. There was an old antebellum home on the lot that was razed to make way for the new red brick Cotswold Cottage in 1939).

Situated on Main Street (the old Bankhead National Highway) just off the town square in Fulton, this tree is probably the most photographed tree in Itawamba County. For years locals and travelers alike have been awed by its colorful beauty every autumn. This year, it looks as if the peak colors will be within the next week or so. This beautiful old tree reminds me of a poem about autumn leaves:

The leaves had a wonderful frolic.
They danced to the wind's loud song.
They whirled, and they floated, and scampered.
They circled and flew along.

The moon saw the little leaves dancing.
Each looked like a small brown bird.
The man in the moon smiled and listened.
And this is the song he heard.

The North Wind is calling, is calling,
And we must whirl round and round,
And then, when our dancing is ended,
We'll make a warm quilt for the ground.

Anonymous

Photograph by Bob Franks (photographed during Autumn 2006)