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Samson Woods
...a nature preserve Thinking in Terms of Forever…. John and Emily Samson by old oak
When John
enters this stately woodlands with his wife, Emily, he walks not only through
trees but through a life time of memories. The first Samson to own land was his
great grandfather, William J. Samson. Today, John can
still point out the foundation of the original homestead -- now covered over
with by a
forest of sugar maples and a thick carpet of spring beauties. The house was a
modest one and, like all homes of its era, without
the comfort of
John's grandparents were the last to live fulltime on the farm. Though John’s father, Clifton, left the homeplace when he graduated from school, he continued to return and visit the farm throughout his entire life, sharing his devotion to the land with his son. John has fond memories of spending summers at the homestead with his Dad, planting pine trees in the old farm fields and pastures to prevent soil erosion. In the 1960’s he planted 2000-3000 trees a year. Remembering how the seedlings were once fragile whips in an open meadow, he is filled with wonder as he now treads upon a thick carpet of pines needles beneath a tall pine forest – with native tulip poplars and sugar maples already peeking through. But it’s the
big old oaks in the family woodlot that John loves the most. Both he and
his Dad left the woods untouched, so fond were they of the trees. As the years
passed and John experienced more poignantly the fragile transience of life, he became
more and more concerned about the farm's future.
Above all, he wanted to see the woods preserved. John examined many
options,
The preserve was officially established in June of 2005 as the William J. Samson Woods Nature Preserve, and is dedicated only to John's great grandfather, William, but to the memory of John’s parents, Clifton and Dorothy as well. Because John was so passionate about wanting to make certain that the woods would remain protected into the far-flung future, the Sanctuary sought a partnering land trust to offer additional protection. The Appalachian Ohio Alliance agreed to help out by holding a conservation easement on the land, thereby ensuring that its status as a nature preserve can never be reversed.
The property has the distinction of boasting the Ohio's most perfect tree, a strikingly symmetrical sugar maple that is admired daily by roadside travelers. According to John, even back in the twenties when his father was a teenager, the tree was renowned for its beauty. It was even pictured in his father's high school year book! It's still a handsome tree today, its photographs gracing the front of the county phone book and local travel & tourism brochures. Thanks to John and Emily Samson, now this "most beautiful tree" will remain a protected local landmark for generations to come. More botanical highlights from Samson Woods:
From Left to Right: Whorled Pogonia Orchid, Adder's Tongue Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Indian Cucumber Root, Pink Lady Slipper Orchid
Connecting is the
first step in saving the forest.
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electricity. Remains of the old outdoor pump can be seen where
water was hand-pumped for home use and for livestock. 
and finally settled on donating his land to the Highlands Nature
Sanctuary, a local land trust working in the five-county region of Highland,
Adams, Ross, Pike and Scioto Counties -- a region known as the Arc of
Appalachia. 
Sanctuary
staff and volunteers have uncovered remarkable botanical treasures while
exploring the site.
The most thrilling discoveries came this spring with the finding of large colonies of pink
lady slipper orchids growing in the old pine plantations, and the hundreds
of rare Adder's Tongue ferns -- unusual one-leafed ferns with spore-producing
projections that look like giant snake tongues. 
