Carolina legend has it that if you kiss your date beneath the legendary Davie Poplar, then you will marry the one you kiss. Franklin Galleries third of the Traditions Collection, ‘Legend of Davie Poplar’ by North Carolina artist Russell Smith is the first picture to capture the sacred tradition of the ‘kiss’ while capturing the splendor of North Campus.

Smith depicts a glorious fall day with the sun illuminating Old East – the first building built on campus – as students pass on the walkways behind the historic tree. Set in front of a backdrop of the South Building and the Old Well, this work is visually stunning and truly captures the essence of a fall Carolina day.

Legend has it that on a hot summer day during his exhaustive search for a location for the nations first public University, General William Davie and his associates took a much needed rest beneath a tree near New Hope Chapel. After ‘exhilirating beverages’ a picnic lunch and a ‘refreshing nap’, the trustees unaniamously decided with Davie’s urging, that they proceed no further. So they settled on that very spot.

Another legend associated with the tree is that as long as Davie Poplar remains standing, the University will thrive. If it falls, the University will crumble. As such, many steps have been taken to preserve the tree. In 1918, it was struck by lightning, and fear that the tree was dying led the University to make a plant grafting, called Davie Poplar Jr. Later, another tree called Davie Poplar III was planted nearby from a seed of the original tree. As part of the university’s bicentennial celebration in 1993, 100 seedlings from the tree were given to 100 children representing North Carolina’s 100 counties. The seedlings were to be planted in the 100 counties across the state. Where these seedlings were actually planted is not known. In 1996, Davie Poplar was badly damaged by Hurricane Fran, after which the trunk was filled with cement and strung with cables to keep it up.