Lone Tree Hill

1
Lone Tree Hill
2
1. Looking for the Changes
Take a walk through time The hill in front of you
was once nothing like what you are seeing now.
Much of the area that is now forest was once
fields used for crops or as pastures for the
livestock. What are the reasons for these
changes? How has it happened? some of the reasons
are Caused by humans but many are just natural
changes that nature has caused to happen. We
invite you to take a walk through time.
3
The Farm Barn
4
2. 100 Years of Changes
Ever since the Farm Barn was first erected, a
clock towered above the courtyard chiming the
hour. This clock still rests there today.
The first use for this section of the barn was
dedicated to holding livestock. This is now used
as an education center.
This portion of the barn held mules. Now the
Renaissance School and cheese making facility
have taken its place.
Along with holding livestock, the barn also held
hay, grain, wood, sawdust and much more. This is
now used as a education center where day camps
are held.
In the late 1880s, on the second and third
floors,farm machinery was stored. Today, this is
now a barn with storage areas above.
In the early years when the barn was first
created by the Webbs, a stable was built for
the horses. Now this is leased for the use of a
bakery.

5
Old Pine Forest
6
3. A Pine Line Between New And Old
Nearing the end of the 1800s, the area in which
you are now standing looked very different. The
trees that stand around you now grew up from a
field that was once used for farming. These
white pines were possibly transplanted in the
field by the Webb family over 100 years ago, from
their tree farm. From the core sample below you
can see that this trees growth was rapid at
first but has since slowed down due to shadowing
from other trees in the area. By using these
rings and our understanding of tree growth
patterns, we are able to discern the conditions
under which the tree was growing. Where the rings
are wide, growth was unobstructed, and where
they are narrow, growth was slow.
This image shows a small portion of a core taken
from a nearby pine tree. A tree core allows
researchers to learn the age of a tree without
cutting it down. The trees age is represented
in the number of rings, or sections of light and
dark, found in core. While this core doesnt
illustrate that, the tree that the core was taken
from was around 100 years old. The age of these
trees can also be estimated by counting the
whirls. Whirls are circular indentations set in
rings around the tree. Every year, a pine tree
adds a new whirl.
Before modern farm machinery, horses were used to
pull plows. When the area around you was still a
field used for farming, the Webbs and their
workers used this type of method to plow the open
field.
7
The Hill
8
4. Better Than The Inn?
Other than providing a breathtaking view of Lake
Champlain and the bordering Adirondacks, this
hill top has served for many other uses since the
Webb Family purchased the farms in 1885. After
they built their homestead on Saxton Point, they
made plans to construct an even larger and more
luxurious house a top this hill. They probably
wanted to take advantage of this unique view.
They hired several artists to create portrait
plans of possible mansion designs as shown at
right
Shelburne Inn
Look Familiar? As with much of the land in
Vermont, Lone Tree Hill was at one point the high
point of a large open field. Over the years,
shrub vegetation has grown in and eventually
developed into mature forests as is the nature of
succession in this environment. This historic
background picture depicts the landscape as seen
from where you now stand. The view faces westward
down towards the Inn. Notice how much woods has
grown in and cut off the visibility of several
buildings.
So, Where Is The Lone Tree? Many are curious of
the origin of this hills name. If you look
around, you will observe hundreds of trees of all
sizes surrounding the hilltop. In fact, there
truly was once a solo tree located near the peak.
The Webbs were aware of this thus appointing the
name Lone Tree Hill. Shown at left is a diary
entry written by Mrs. Webb announcing that the
lone tree had toppled over in a thunderstorm. The
entry is dated late August 1908.
9
Whimsey Meadow
10
5. Change on the Range
Whimsey Meadow has changed a lot in the past
half-century. In the 1950s, this meadow was a
large, expansive, empty pasture-land. Then it
was abandoned, and nature took its course through
the succession process. Now Whimsey Meadow is
becoming a forest. In another 20 years, the maze
of walking paths that meander through Whimsey
Meadow will no longer have the beautiful views
that they have today. They will instead be a
series of paths through a newly formed forest.
1942
Farm Barn
Whimsey Meadow
N
Today
The fields at Whimsey Meadow were not always
walking paths. They may have been used to grow
hay for farm animals (left), or as pasture-land
for sheep to graze (right).
Farm Barn
Whimsey Meadow
11
6. From Forest to Field and Back Again
When a field is abandoned, the succession process
begins. This process of growth and change occurs
in three steps, which are seen as layers in the
landscape. First, small plants grow in, followed
by bushes and small trees, then larger trees
afterward. When the process is finished what was
once a field is now a forest.
Whimsey Meadow is an excellent example of
succession. Everywhere one looks, there are
three visible layers of plants. In most of
Whimsey Meadow the first layer consists of
grasses, milkweed and goldenrod. The second is
of sumac and honeysuckle and the third is made up
of pines, birches an sugar maples. Whimsey
Meadow is well on its way to becoming a forest.
White Pine trees grow during the third part of
the succession process. The pines can live for
50-100 years before they are replaced by beech,
birch and sugar maple trees.
Staghorn Sumac is a woody tree that grows during
the second stage of succession. Contrary to
common beliefs, all sumac is not poisonous.
Poison Sumac can be distinguished from Staghorn
Sumac because it has smooth, not fuzzy leaves.
Milkweed grows with the first phase of
succession. Milkweed is toxic, and is the
primary food source of Monarch butterflies. By
feeding on the milkweed they become toxic and are
protected from predators.
12
Owen Lisa Allicia Kappes Sarah Eric Thomas David K
elsey Cal Uyen Hannah
Paul Kara Lynn
13
The End