Executive Mansion. 271
such recommendation into effect had been
taken or attempted by
the general assembly.
On February 16, 1917 a resolution was
adopted authorizing
the appointment of a committee to
"investigate the cost of pur-
chasing a residence already erected and
also the cost of pur-
chasing a site and causing a proper
residence to be erected there-
on" in Columbus "to be used as
a home for future governors of
the state". (107 0. L. 760.)
On March 30, 1917 the governor approved
an act authoriz-
ing an Executive Mansion Board and
appropriating one hundred
and twenty-five thousand dollars to
purchase a site and erect there-
on "a building for use as a home
for the future governors of the
state".
Under the provisions of this act a site
was purchased. It
later appeared desirable to acquire a
different site with a building
already erected. Accordingly on February
26, 1919 the gov-
ernor approved an act amending the act
of March 30, 1917 and
authorizing the board
"To purchase a dwelling in the city
of Columbus, with the
grounds pertaining thereto, for use as a
home for the governors
of this state; to purchase other grounds
adjacent to such dwell-
ing; to remove any of the buildings
thereon; to alter or repair
said dwelling; to further improve and
embellish said grounds;
to fully furnish and equip said dwelling
for residence purposes;
to make expenditures for any other
purposes which the Board
shall find necessary or proper in
furtherance of the end in view;
and to exchange the present site
intended for an Executive Man-
sion (heretofore purchased by said
Board) in part payment for
the dwelling above stated".
On the Executive Mansion Board were
appointed three
former governors of Ohio: James E.
Campbell, Chairman;
Myron T. Herrick and Judson Harmon. The
building and
spacious grounds have been acquired
within the original appro-
priation.
A BUCKEYE TREE FOR THE LAWN OF THE
EXECUTIVE
MANSION.
When the property for the Governor's
mansion was acquired
by the state it was promptly fitted and
equipped for occupancy.
Rare furniture was purchased, some of it
of early date and
Executive Mansion. 278
historical association. The grounds were
put in order and the
landscape gardener gave the lawn the
final artistic setting.
One matter was overlooked, however. In
the spacious yard
of the mansion for the buckeye Governor
there was no buckeye
tree. Attention was drawn to this by
Ireland of the Columbus
Dispatch in the "Passing Show".
This notice caught the eye of young Jack
Price, son of At-
torney General and Mrs. John G. Price,
and he at once recalled
that he had in possession just what was
needed to make the man-
sion and grounds a strictly Ohio
institution. He had a young
buckeye tree which he presented to
Governor Cox. This tree
has a history. It grew from a buckeye
seed planted at the
Joseph Royer homestead on East South
St., Massillon, Ohio,
where Jack's mother, who was Miss Salome
C. Royer, was born.
The buckeye, when but a small bush, was
removed from Massil-
lon to the Price home at 1356 Neil Ave.,
Columbus, in the year
1915, where it had grown to a tree about
ten feet in height when
it was transplanted on the lawn of the
Governor's mansion on
May 20,
1920.
The planting of this young buckeye tree
was widely noted
through the press of the state. The Massillon
Independent
of May 22, 1920, contains the following editorial
under the cap-
tion "Made in Massillon, Shade for
the Governor's Lawn":
"A 14-year old grandson of
Massillon Thursday strengthened
Massillon's claim to a place in the hall
of fame.
"Master Jack Price, son of John
Price, attorney general of
Ohio, and Mrs. Salome Royer Price, the
latter a native daughter
of Massillon, Thursday went out with
Governor Cox on the lawn
of the governor's mansion at Columbus
and there planted a
buckeye tree, the only one of its kind
within the confines of the
official property, and a tree which, as
a tiny sprig, first saw the
light of day in the lot of the former
residence of Mrs. Price, in
East South street, Massillon.
"The simple ceremony, in which the
governor and Master
Jack were the chief participants,
followed the discovery of the
fact that the lawn of the governor's
mansion bore not a single
buckeye, the beautiful tree which has
given the state its familiar
name. Master Jack remembered the little
tree which he had
tenderly transported from Massillon and
then a flourishing oc-
Vol. XXIX-18
274
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
cupant of his own back yard. He offered
it to the governor,
and the governor not only accepted, but
agreed to help plant it.
So Thursday the ceremony was performed
and henceforth a
Massillon-made shade producer will
assist in keeping cool the
establishment of the governor in summer,
and by winter enhance
the beauty of an otherwise barren
landscape.
"But aside from the scenic effects
created by the presence
of the Massillon buckeye on the
governor's lawn, there will be
those who will claim for it other
virtues. Many years ago peo-
ple were wont to carry in their pockets
buckeyes to keep
away illness and evil spirits. The
secret of this mysterious power
of the horse chestnut over the enemies
of the human body and
mind was never explained. It was claimed
to exist and that
was all that was necessary. Many who did
not believe in the
efficacy of the buckeye carried one just
to be on the safe side and
give the alleged protector the benefit
of the doubt.
"Those early believers and their
latter-day followers very
likely will feel much safer now that a
buckeye tree is flourishing
on the lawn of the official mansion of
the chief executive of the
state of Ohio, for they will argue that,
if a single buckeye is
capable of preserving the health of the
mind and body of an in-
dividual, a whole tree surely will do as
much for a governor.
"What power for good the buckeye
possesses in political life
will be seen at San Francisco next
month."
The Canton Repository of May 20, 1920, contains a news
item from which the following is an
extract:
"'Jack' Price, 14, son of Attorney
General John G. Price,
formerly of Canton, presented to
Governor Cox today a young
buckeye tree which was grown from a Buckeye
planted ten years
ago on the homestead of the young man's
mother, formerly Miss
Salome C. Royer, of Massillon. Young
Price took the tree to
Columbus, transplanted it at his home on
Neil Ave. and has care-
fully nurtured it for several years.
"When attention was called to the
fact in a Columbus news-
paper last week that there were no
buckeye trees in the yard at
the governor's mansion, Jack Price
decided to offer the tree to
the governor. The gift was accepted and
the governor personally
assisted young Price today in planting the tree."