Subject Area
History
Description
The tale of the American chestnut tree offers incredible insight on Americans’ changing relationship with their environment and the complications added by economic motivations and scientific advancements. The American chestnut tree was known for its favorable timber and delectable nuts, which allowed the tree to assume a level of economic and cultural significance in twentieth century America. The timber was versatile and durable, and picking chestnuts and roasting them during the holidays were common seasonal traditions. However, the arrival of an invasive species of fungus at the beginning of the twentieth century decimated the population of American chestnut trees along its native range, tragically spreading like wildfire and radically altering the landscape. Few scholars have examined the role of the American chestnut tree in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states, choosing to focus primarily on Appalachia, where the tree thrived and the effects of the blight were most notable. However, various literary sources indicate that the tree bore cultural, economic, and scientific meaning in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states prior to and during the outbreak of the blight. Poems and stories about children hunting for chestnuts were instruments for conveying Christian morals and values. Others testified to the relationship between boyhood and the American chestnut tree as a symbol of the values that make an admirable man. As the American chestnut tree’s timber grew more popular, Americans began considering its economic value, and numerous articles in periodicals promoted the tree as a profitable economic resource. As the blight raged in the early twentieth century, newspapers reported on the scientific studies, the economic losses, and the cultural response to the tree’s decimation. Exploring the cultural significance, economic presence, and scientific reactions to the blight are key to understanding how the tree’s identities as a regional icon, a source of profit, and an object of science competed with each other.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2020-2021
Date
Fall 2020
Type
Thesis
Format
Text
Language
English
