60 THE TROPICAL Garden he story of the Fairchild Oak in Ormond Beach, Florida, is not necessarily a story of Dr. David Fairchild but of Eileen Butts, the woman who saved the largest and oldest live oak tree in Volusia County. Of course, David and Marian Fairchild, as well as their good friends Oakes and Blanche Ames, do play a part. The oak’s official name today is “The Fairchild-Ormond Oak.” Abundant with resurrection fern and Tillandsia, its trunk measures 30 feet in circumference. It is almost 68 feet tall, with some branches that stretch outward over 300 feet. It was long believed to be more than 2,000 years old, although arborists recently ascertained its real age is between 300 and 400 years (still very impressive!). Originally, the tree was called “Ormond Oak” after James Ormond II, who owned a plantation in the early 1800s on which the oak stood. The town of Ormond Beach is named after the Ormond Family; James Ormond II, who died in 1829 at a young age, is buried nearby in James Ormond Tomb State Park. The property has since had many owners, but of particular interest to our story is Norman Harwood. In 1880, he fled debtors in Minnesota to start again in Florida, purchasing several hundred acres of what was once the Ormond Plantation. He built his house not far from the Ormond Oak. In 1885, Harwood died alone under mysterious circumstances; his housekeeper found him the next morning. Rumors of murder or suicide quickly took root, but were never proved or disproved. It was said that his ghost could sometimes be seen in the vicinity of the oak. Over time, the oak’s name changed to Harwood Oak or Haunt Oak. This is what it was called when the Fairchilds, the Ameses and Eileen Butts entered the story. Oakes and Blanche Ames had a second home in Ormond Beach they called The Whim. Oakes, a Harvard botanist and well respected orchid expert, and Blanche, an artist and illustrator, were close friends of the Fairchilds. Their marriage was similar to David and Marian’s, in that both women were tireless supporters of their husbands and their careers but also were accomplished in their own rights. They both were artistically talented, and championed causes on behalf of women and children. The Fairchilds were often guests at the Ames’s home in Ormond Beach. Eileen Butts, also a good friend of the Ames’s, served on the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials and is credited with helping to establish Tomoka State Park, Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park and the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum and Gardens. She also saved and oversaw restoration The Fairchild Oak, or What’s in a Name? By Janet Mosely T
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