Buckeye Cabins
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Ohio Buckeye Information:
Ohio buckeye is found growing on fertile, moist soils of bottomlands and
river banks throughout most of Ohio but less commonly in the eastern half of the
state. It is also known as the fetid or stinking buckeye because the flowers,
bruised bark, and broken twigs give off a disagreeable odor.
The Indians named the fruit of the buckeye tree
hetuck, meaning the eye of a
buck, which it certainly does resemble. Today the buckeye has the distinction of
being the state tree of Ohio.
The fresh seeds of this tree are reported to be poisonous to man but not to
squirrels. The Indians powdered the seeds and dumped them into small pools. This
would stun the fish and make them rise to the surface, where the Indians quickly
collected them. It is also reported that a flour made from the seeds makes an
excellent library paste which will repel roaches.
The pioneers favored the wood for cabin building and for making furniture.
Early settlers cut long, thin shavings, which were then woven into summer hats.
Although buckeye wood is now used extensively for making artificial limbs
because it is light, easily worked, and resists splitting, it is of little
commercial importance.
The State Tree - Ohio Buckeye, Aesculus glabra
 | Size: small tree of central states, chiefly of Ohio and Mississippi
Valley regions, 30'-50' in height, 2'-3' in diameter |
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| Growth: grows best in deep fertile soils, will usually reach maturity
in 60-80 years |
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| Leaves: palmately compound with five nearly elliptical, serrate
leaflets 4" - 6" long |
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| Buds: large terminal bud (nonresinous) |
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| Branching: stout limbs in opposite positioning |
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| Bark: grey, scaly plates |
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| Flowers: showy, pale white to greenish yellow, branched clusters
4" -6" long |
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| Fruit (nut): 1" -2" seed capsule, somewhat spiny with 1-5
non-edible seeds (nuts) inside |
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| Other information: also known a fetid buckeye, stinking buckeye. It is
one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring and drops its leaves early in
the fall. Fall leaf coloration is orange to red |
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| Uses: today mostly pulp; in the past - furniture, crates, pallets,
caskets, artificial human limbs |
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| Folklore: nut is considered a good luck charm, relieves pain of
arthritis and rheumatism, resembles the eye of the buck deer |
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| State Champion Big Tree: circumference - 162"; height 82' crown
spread - 67'; location - North Bend, Hamilton County |
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The Buckeye - Description, Uses and Legend
| Botanical Name: The botanical name for the Buckeye is Aesculus which
was taken by the Swedish botanist, Carl von Linne from "Aesculapius,"
the name of the mythological Greek god of medicine. The Ohio variety was named
Aesculus glabra, by the German botanist Willdenow in 1809. |
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| Common Name: The common name "Buckeye" was derived from the
Native Americans who noticed that the glossy, chestnut-brown seeds with the
lighter circular "eye" looked very similar to the eye of a buck
(male) deer. |
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| Description of the Ohio Buckeye Seed Nut: The seed nut is glossy and
chestnut-brown in color. It is velvety smooth to the touch with lighter
circular "eye." It is contained in a spiny, two-inch hull and is set
in five palmately compound, five inch long, decidusous leaflets. The leaf
formation has been described as "praying hands" by poet Albrecht
Duerer. The seeds and bark are slightly poisonous and bitter tasting. The
properties can be eliminated by heating and leaching. |
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| Uses by Native Americans and Early Settlers: The Native Americans
roasted, peeled and mashed the buckeye nut, which they called "Hetuck,"
into a nutritional meal. The early settlers found the buckeye wood to be
lightweight (28 pounds per cubic foot as compared to 75 pounds per cubic foot
for oak), to be readily split, and to be easily carved or whittled. Due to
these qualities, the buckeye wood was used by settlers to make utensils. Thin
planed strips of the wood were woven into a variety of hats and baskets. The
buckeye wood has been found ideal in artificial limbs production due to its
lightness and non-splitting characteristics. |
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| Medicinal Properties: Early travellers and explorers carried the rare
and curious buckeye to the east with them and reported the Aesculus glabra's
highly prized medicinal properties and talismanic attribute of wisdom. The
extracts from the inner bark of the nut has been used in cerebro-spinal
treatments. Some believe that the buckeye relieves rheumatism pain and
provides good fortune when carried in the pockets of their garments or worn as
an amulet around the neck. Instantly dubbed "buckeye" in frontier
speech, the mysterious nut was used as a general cure-all for generations. |
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| Political Campaign Symbols: As a result of a political remark made by
an opposition newspaper, a long cabin decorated with raccoon skins and a
string of buckeyes became the symbol of General William Henry Harrison's
presidential campaign. |
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The following became his
campaign song:
"Oh where, tell me where was your buckeye cabin made?
Twas built among the merry boys who wield the plough and spade,
Where the log cabins stand, in the bonnie buckeye shade.
Oh what, tell me what is to be your cabin's fate?
We'll wheel it to the capital and place it there elate,
for a token and a sign of the bonnie Buckeye state."
As a result, citizens of Ohio became known as "Buckeyes." The buckeye
tree was officially adapted as the state tree on October 2, 1953.
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