The Marrying Tree

The extent of damage to “The Marrying Tree” is evident in this photo of Martha Ann Johns, daughter of Big Lynn Lodge owners J.P. and Lucille Johns, with a playmate standing at its base. Some have claimed that a horse could fit inside the 500 year old trunk. Age and disease brought down the linden tree in 1965.

The “Marrying Tree” stood for centuries at the entrance of the current Big Lynn Lodge in Little Switzerland. A linden or basswood tree, it was 75 feet tall, with a circumference of 13 feet. The tree was the scene of many nuptials, as it stood on the Mitchell/McDowell County line where irate parents couldn’t stop the forbidden ceremonies from taking place. If you were on the McDowell County side, the Mitchell County Sheriff had no jurisdiction, and vice-versa. Legend has it that members of the Overmountain Men passed by the Big Lynn in 1780 and hanged British sympathizer Nathaniel Riddle from its branches before continuing to Kings Mountain. The Little Switzerland tollgate stood under it until 1921. Age, disease, fire, and weather took a toll, causing the tree to endanger nearby buildings. In 1949, Parkway officials planned to cut it down, but a campaign saved it. In 1965, the 500-year old tree could stand no more and was cut down. Two sprouts from it still grow today.