The White Oak Tale

A Tale of the Old White Oak Rumor has it that there once was a monument in Possum Hollow that was placed at “The Old White Oak Tree.”  The story of the Old White Oak goes back to the early 1800’s when several local people gathered at Pine Hill Creek and the now Creek Side Drive (the bridge at Creek Side and Magaro Road in Possum Hollow).

During the conversation it was decided that the name of their village, The Lilly of the Valley, should be changed. As they were searching for a name, a possum, with her young, emerged from a hollow in a nearby white oak tree apparently oblivious to the local gathering.  It was then the town people decided to change the name of their village to Possum Hollow.

Mary and Chappie Bretz, Possum Hollow historians, assured the Society that there was a monument dedicated to this famous old tree.  Chappie Bretz tells us his father, along with others, purchased the monument around 1865.

In late November 1999, the monument was located. Over the years it had been pushed over the bank and was partially covered with dirt and grass. An attempt was made to remove and relocate the monument.

It soon became apparent that the job was too great for us mortal men, so we enlisted the help of Dennis Small and his backhoe.

On December 31, 1999, there was another gathering at Creekside Drive and Magaro Road. Dennis Small, Mike Wadlinger and Tom Pines worked at removing and relocating the monument. Chappie and Mary Bretz directed traffic around the work site while Gene Wingert and Herb Kruger recorded the event for posterity.

Finally the monument was in place with a clearly visible inscription that says, “This Is Where the Old White Oak Stood.”  The project took about an hour and while there were no possums present, we are sure they were watching.