The 4th Anniversary letterpress blocks have a unique story. They were cut from a tree planted around 1937 under the direction of noted landscape architect Thomas Warren Sears on the Mt. Cuba estate of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland. Mr. Copeland was the great-great-grandson of DuPont-founder Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, and the company’s 11th president from 1962 to 1967.
The Ginkgo Biloba tree, also known as the Maidenhair tree, was planted in the corner of the west terrace of the sprawling mansion. One of many unique attibutes of the Ginkgo tree is that it gives off a strong perfume-like floral scent when the wood is freshly cut.
Today, Mt. Cuba Center is a center for horticultural research. As trees are damaged by storms, disease, insects or animals, they are removed by the staff of volunteers and full time gardeners and replaced.
Mr. Greg Flegal obtains the trees and mills them at his small family sawmill in Kennett Square, PA, and offers the lumber to cabinet makers, artisans, and craftsmen who enjoy working with unique woods that are steeped in history.
