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Arbor Day in Mississippi
Tree planting festivals have been popular dating back to the earliest days
of civilization. Sacred trees, planted roadsides and shaded school walks
were common long before North America was discovered.
But Arbor Day
is purely American in origin. It was first observed in the State of Nebraska
in 1872.
At Cincinnati,
Ohio, in 1882, they held their first Arbor Day and introduced two new
elements into observance. First, the day was declared a school festival, and
second the practice of planting a memorial tree was inaugurated. These new
developments were largely responsible for the acceptance of Arbor Day over
the rest of the United States.
It wasn’t until 1926 in Mississippi that Arbor Day became an official day of
observance. In section 5, Chapter 161 of the 1926 Mississippi Code, the
State and County Boards of Education were directed to set aside a special
day each year in the public schools.
. . .”on which day
ornamental and shade trees, flowers, etc., are to be placed where practical
on the grounds surrounding all public school houses.” Later, the second
Friday in February was firmly adopted as the day on which the state
would annually observe Arbor Day.
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