JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — A design for a Jonesborough license plate was picked and a committee to decide what to do with the wood from the Shanks Oak tree was established at a monthly meeting Monday.
“We are proud to announce the design for the Historic Jonesborough Oldest Town in Tennessee specialty license plate,” Heritage Alliance Director, Anne Mason said. “After a month’s worth of feedback from the community on various designs, we settled on the iconic Chester Inn, the oldest building in the oldest town, with our beautiful, Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.”
The plate is now available for pre-order here. Sales from the license plate benefit the Heritage Alliance and the Jonesborough Genealogy Society, two organizations dedicated to history education and preservation in Northeast Tennessee.
A Shanks Oak Tree Committee was also established Monday to help decide how the wood from the centuries-old oak tree, which was destroyed by severe weather in August, will be used.
The board shared the importance of keeping the oak tree’s legacy alive and feels setting up a committee to streamline a decision is the best step forward. The Town is reportedly splitting the cost of the tree recovery with Farm Bureau, as decided in a previous agreement when a conservation easement was put on Shanks Oak.
“There is a lot of emotion there,” Alderman Kelly Wolfe said. “You can look back at the impact this tree had on families over the years.”
The Shanks Oak committee will consist of Town Administrator Glenn Rosenoff, Alderman Kelly Wolfe, the Cruise family, the Shanks family, the Heritage Alliance, a Tourism/Marketing representative and a representative appointed by the Mayor.
