Eastern White Pine in Historic Phillips Cemetery

NLI’s Legacy Tree Program: February Tree of the Month

NLI’s Legacy Tree Program with monthly tree recognition continues to highlight trees of historic significance with interesting stories, in addition to finding very large trees that qualify for the Illinois Big Tree Register. This month’s tree is no exception. It scores as yet another local state champion tree.

The February Tree of the Month is an Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) located in the historic Phillips Cemetery on Bates Rd., just south of Freeport Rd., in Rockton. Dimensions are 98 feet tall, 57.5 feet average crown spread and 176 inches in circumference (14ft, 8” around!).

After a Natural Land Institute (NLI) program given by its Executive Director, Alan Branhagen, to the Rockton Township Historical Society, board member Jerri Noller, said there were large trees in Phillips Cemetery that should be looked at for inclusion in the Legacy Tree Program. Two significant trees, a hackberry and this white pine, were confirmed as having legacy status and were measured by NLI Trustee and volunteer Howard Knodle.

Growing up in Rockton gave Jerri Noller, the nominator of the White Pine, extensive knowledge and connections to the people of this community and cemetery. Jerri was appointed to the Rockton Township cemetery board as a trustee in 1996. In 2000 after the board was dissolved and management of Phillips Cemetery and Rockton Cemetery (536 West St., Rockton) transitioned to the Township Board Supervisor and Board, she was hired as bookkeeper and worked with the Sexton until 2005 when the position was vacated. She was then appointed as Sexton and held the position until 2019.

After becoming Sexton there was some storm damage to trees at Phillips Cemetery and Jerri hired a tree contractor to clean up the damage who estimated that some trees were probably 150 years or older. Jerri said, “I was astonished at the girth of several of them. They were just beautiful. I think that because for many years there had not been many burials in the cemetery the roots had not been disturbed and that contributed to the life and longevity of the trees.  I believe there are 275 burials in Phillips Cemetery at this time.”

Phillips Cemetery, southwest of Rockton, was officially formed on June 20, 1865 on land purchased by Rockton Township from Benjamin Phillips. This legacy white pine was probably planted soon after the cemetery was formed. The cemetery was referred to as Old Settlers cemetery as it was on the wagon train trail and many buried there were those who died on the way to the West – many were children. In fact, headstones in this cemetery indicate this site was used as a burial place before it was officially formed in 1865. Several headstones have death dates of 1841.

The region’s first white settler and founder of Rockton, Stephen Mack, was buried in Phillips Cemetery, as well as his wife, Hononegah, however, their story isn’t this simple. According to historical records: they were buried in a cemetery which is near the present Macktown Forest Preserve golf course club house. It is marked by a boulder with a memorial plaque. In 1880 the Mack estate was owned by Sylvester Smith. The cemetery was in such poor condition that Smith announced that he intended to plow the site under, and if anyone had family buried there, they had better move them soon. The Macks were moved to Phillips Cemetery. In May 1964 the executive committee for the Forest Preserve decided that Rockton’s founding father should be buried next to the Mack home and announced that they were moving their remains back to Macktown. There was a storm of protest by the descendants of the people who had moved the remains in 1880. The Forest Preserve waited until the dead of night of July 23, 1965 when they exhumed their remains and reburied them near Mack’s home.

Eastern White Pine was originally native to Winnebago County but only one sapling from the remnant wild trees remains in the Natural Land Institute’s Howard D. Colman Dells Nature Preserve. The largest stand of them was along Hall Creek in what is now this preserve and adjacent Severson Dells Forest Preserve. Those were logged away for their valuable timber upon settlement. Historic photos also show native white pines along the lower cliffs of Kent Creek where Tinker Swiss Cottage now stands.

Eastern White Pine was one of the most important trees to western civilization as it was the tallest tree in the British empire growing to astounding heights of at least 225-feet in New England. These straight towering trees were claimed by the King of England as masts for the royal navy and gave its ships superior power as 90 feet were the tallest trees from the Baltic at the time. It’s hard to imagine felling these monstrous trees (many shattered) and then hauling them by oxen to the coast – many an ox was strangled as they traversed the hilly terrain. In many ways, the King’s claim to these trees was the cause of the American revolution.

Eastern white pine remains one of the best evergreen trees for planting in sustainable landscapes in Northern Illinois. The primary use for the trees were for windbreaks on the prairie, a smart move as evergreens’ wind-blocking ability significantly reduces heat loss on buildings sheltered in their wake. The tree has very high wildlife value with cones filled with nutritious seeds and a good diversity of insects feed on the needles to start the web of life around us.

Remnant native white pines are few and far between in northern Illinois with the largest stands in Ogle County. It is usually thought of as a Northwoods tree (common in the northeastern half of Wisconsin) but grows southward into northern Georgia along the Appalachians with outlying isolated remnants in our area as far south as Starved Rock and equally scarce in isolated remnants in adjacent Indiana and Iowa. The tree requires bare mineral soil to germinate so occasional fire and exposed rock outcrops are key to its survival in our region.

Background and For More Information:

Natural Land Institute launched the Legacy Tree Program in January 2024. It includes recognition of one tree a month that may be the largest of its kind, or have historical or cultural significance. Anyone may nominate a tree on private or public land from NLI’s 12 county region. Other components of the program, a list of the 12 counties, the online nomination form, and the tree of the month since January 2024 can be found at: https://www.naturalland.org/nlis-legacy-tree-program-january/, call 815/964-6666 or email info@naturalland.org.

About the Natural Land Institute:

The Natural Land Institute, an accredited land trust, is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit land conservation organization based in Rockford, Illinois and has protected nearly 19,000 acres of natural land in I llinois since 1958. NLI’s mission is to create an enduring legacy of natural land in northern Illinois for people, plants and animals. For more information and to donate visit: www.NaturalLand.org or call 815/964-6666.

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More History Provided by Jerri Noller:

First, let me tell you a little bit about me and my association with the Rockton Township cemeteries, one of which is the Phillips Cemetery on Bates Rd, rural Rockton.

I am a graduate of Hononegah High school class of 1963. When I married in 1966 my husband’s family had a local contracting and service business in Rockton, so from the mid 1960s when I was working for the Noller family business I then was able, later on in my association with the Township Cemetery, to recognize many of the names of those buried in the local cemetery.

I was appointed to the Rockton Township Cemetery Board as a trustee in 1996. In 2000 that board was dissolved and the management and guidance for the cemeteries would then be handled totally by the elected Township Supervisor and the elected Township Board of Trustees. I was then hired by the Township Board to manage the bookkeeping for the cemeteries and worked with the Sexton until he abruptly vacated the Sexton position in 2005. As I had several years’ knowledge of the workings of the cemeteries the Township Board appointed me as the Sexton, a position I gratefully and graciously held until 2019.

After I became Sexton, we had some storm damage to trees at the Phillips Cemetery and I asked the arborist who was hired to clean up the damage (Mark’s Tree Service from Rockford) about the age of some of the huge trees on the grounds. He estimated at that time that some of the larger trees were 150 years or older. I was astonished at the girth of several of them. They were just beautiful. I think that because for many years there had not been many burials in the cemetery the roots had not been disturbed and that contributed to the life longevity of the trees. I believe there are 275 burials in Phillips cemetery at this time. There may be more as many are unmarked, but the records as I recall were quite accurate.

In 2016, Stonehuggers Restorations from Indiana reset and cleaned many badly damaged stones and cleaned the remainder of the stones at Phillips cemetery. A majority of the stones are of sandstone or Italian marble and are very fragile and cannot be power washed like stones of granite material. There are still many stones that need repairs done. Maybe sometime in the future that can be accomplished.

A short story of information passed along to me by the Sexton who held that position from the 1930s until the mid 1970s was that when Benjamin Phillips sold the land to the Township for a cemetery Mr. Phillips wanted the cemetery to have a name so it was agreed to be named Phillips Cemetery. Several Phillips family members are buried in this cemetery.

There were, of course, already many burials on the land as it was known as the “Wagon train or settlers cemetery.” Records show that the one acre of land (surveyed) was transferred to the Cemetery on June 20, 1865. I have photos (pictured here) of a couple of markers that have death dates of 1841 which is before the land was sold as a designated cemetery – it amazed me that folks traveling through the area had the money to erect grave stones for their loved ones. Many of course were children or mothers who died bearing children. Wat a tragic and sad journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two burials of significant note were Stephen Mack (born 1798 – died April 10, 1850, age 52 years), the founder of Rockton, and his (Native American) wife Hononegah (born 1814 – died September 8, 1847 age 33 years). There were eight surviving children at the time of her death.

In 1850 Winnebago County was formally divided into townships. In an election held April 2, 1850 Mack ran for the position of the first Township Supervisor of Rockton and was narrowly defeated by Sylvester Talcott. Six days later on the following April 10 Mack died suddenly of unknown causes (rumors circulated for years that he was poisoned). Mack, Hononegah and one of their sons were buried in a cemetery which is near the present Macktown golf course club house and is marked by a boulder with a memorial plaque.

In 1880 the Mack estate was owned by Sylvester Smith. The cemetery was in such poor condition that Smith announced that he intended to plow the site under, and if anyone had family buried there, they had better move them soon. The Macks were moved to Phillips Cemetery west of Rockton.

In May 1964 the executive committee for the Forest Preserve decided that Rockton’s founding father should be buried next to the Mack home and announced that they were moving their remains back to Macktown. There was a storm of protest by the descendants of the people who had moved the remains in 1880. The Forest Preserve waited until the dead of night of July 23, 1965 when they exhumed their remains and reburied them near Mack’s home.

For many years the fencing encircling the Phillips Cemetery was a simple woven wire fence with a metal farm gate at the entrance. In 2008 Roger and Judy Bates donated the materials and installation of black decorative metal fencing to enhance the beauty of the cemetery. Several members of the Bates family are buried at Phillips cemetery and Erastus Bates was a board member of Rockton Township when the Phillips cemetery land was purchased.

I am currently a board member of the Rockton Township Historical Society so I am able to continue my research on local burials and to assist local residents and visitors in their quest for information on their ancestors and friends.