Twin Poplars

Local legend has it that over 280 years ago, the Catawba and the Cherokee were locked in a brutal and savage conflict in the smoky hills around what is now Lenoir, North Carolina. So many warriors were killed on both sides that the leaders came together to talk peace, not as victor over vanquished, but as equals. Distrust and enmity were conquered and peace was made—at least temporarily. The symbol of that peace would be two trees and their ability to grow together. 

The legend of the Twin Poplars suggests that the leaders of this ancient and violent war came together and tied two poplars as a symbol of peace. If the poplars were to grow together, then their peace would survive.

To the naked eye, it does appear that the bases of each tree, separated as they are, have their own individual root systems. Their trunks being so far apart, it would seem implausible for them to have grown together without some artificial help from man. Whether that help came from the indigenous tribes of yesteryear or some farmer thereafter is but speculation.