In Athens, Georgia, there’s an oak tree that is legally considered the owner of itself—and the land it stands on. According to local legend, in the early 1800s, William H. Jackson deeded ownership of the tree and eight feet of land around it... to the tree itself.
While there’s no official deed on record, the city and community have long respected this act of arboreal self-ownership. When the original tree fell in 1942, a new oak—grown from one of its acorns—was planted in the same spot. It's now affectionately known as the “Son of the Tree That Owns Itself.”
Whether or not the story is legally binding, it's a fascinating symbol of environmental respect and local folklore, making it a beloved point of pride in the region—and a pretty wild legal concept!