Words and Images courtesy of Lisa Suhay.
Have you ever heard of a Witness Tree? It's a tree that is recorded for being present at the center of a historic moment in American History. Just in time for the start of National Historic Preservation Month (May) the Historic American Landmark Survey (HALS) will add Norfolk's Fairy Tree as the first contemporary location related to the global pandemic.
Last June, when children were isolated due to lockdown and pandemic safety precautions Norfolk children's Author Lisa Suhay attached a fairy door to a pink Crape Myrtle tree and invited children to write to the Fae for comfort. The fairies respond with handwritten notes. Over 2,000 letters and counting from all over the nation and other countries have been answered by the fairiessince June 2020.
The 20-page HALS report (which will be uploaded to the Library of Congress) details how children and adults (including many stressed-out college students) from all walks of life across the nation have written to the fairies seeking comfort and coping strategies.
A pdf of the report is available on request in advance of the upload to the Library of Congress.
"The global pandemic of 2020/2021 was one of the most impactful historic events in modern American history to which the FairyTree has been both a witness and a national source of comfort for children and adults alike," according to the HALS Report which will be uploaded to the Library of Congress. "This tree stopped an emotional bullet for thousands of children and adults who come to the tree to leave letters to the fairies they envision living there. They receive handwritten replies from the Fae. Letters are also mailed to the tree from believers in other states and countries."
TIME CAPSULE EVENT (call to action)
On July 4th Weekend the fairies will bury a pandemic time capsule containing letters from children and adults detailing what it was like to live in these challenging times. The capsule will be opened in 10 years. Letters can be dropped off or mailed to FairyTree 16521 Longwood Dr., Norfolk VA 23508.
