Yellow Springs News: Wright State biologist shares the remarkable story behind Ohio’s legendary Logan Elm

Don Cipollini is professor of biological sciences at Wright State.

Don Cipollini, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Wright State University, shared the history of one of Ohio’s most storied trees — the Logan Elm — in a guest column in the Yellow Springs News.

The Logan Elm, a massive American elm (Ulmus americana) that once stood in Pickaway County south of Circleville, was “born” around 1700. The tree became famous as the site where Chief Logan of the Mingo people was said to have delivered his moving speech, known as “Logan’s Lament,” in the fall of 1774.

In his column, Cipollini recounted how Logan’s words, spoken through an interpreter during peace negotiations with Lord Dunmore of Virginia, expressed grief and anger over the murder of his family in the Yellow Creek Massacre. Despite his pain, Logan’s statement reflected both strength and a desire for peace — sentiments that resonated so widely that Thomas Jefferson later included the speech in his 1784 book “Notes on the State of Virginia,” bringing Logan’s story to national attention.

At its peak, the Logan Elm stodd approximately 100 feet high, measured 24 feet in circumference, and spread its canopy 180 feet wide — shading nearly two-thirds of an acre. Once considered one of the largest elms in the nation, it stood for centuries before it eventually succumbed to the scourge of Dutch Elm Disease.

Read Cipollini’s full column and learn how the legacy of the Logan Elm continues today at  ysnews.com.