LOCATIONS: Hilton Ravine Restoration

Assuming all has gone to plan and no special travel surprises have popped up, Ginger and Kara should be state-side again. You can expect to see some blog posts concerning our travel, our discoveries, and future Owl's Flower fun once we've both recovered. While we're shaking off the jet lag, though, we wanted to point out something that's actually relevant to our readers: the restoration of what was once an inspiration for a locale in our book.

Herne's forest — bits of it, at least — were inspired by the Hilton Ravine, right next to Kara's elementary school. Back in the day it bore a lot more of a resemblance to what you read about in the books. However, the pocket park is also a drainage area for local storm water, which is eventually funneled out into the nearby James River.

The City of Newport News made some changes recently to upgrade that system. The good news is, it worked; the bad news is, the construction destroyed lots of old trees and growth, leaving the forested area... uh... a lot less forested.

So Kara was thrilled last month to see a door hanger left by the Newport News Green Foundation, looking to restore the ravine! Obviously, the overgrown forest of Kara's childhood that inspired Herne's home in William's Grove is likely gone for good. But their plans to beautify the area and make it a welcoming place for locals, as well as re-plant trees, is an exciting move.

Go check out their initiative online. If you feel inclined, be sure to donate a little. Since Kara's still just a walk from the site, she'll be sure to fill people in on how the restoration goes!

Setting Inspiration: Visit Herne's Tree

As mentioned in a previous post, the ravine that served as inspiration for Herne's forest has two major differences from its fictional counterpart. For one thing, it's half gone; for another, it's missing Herne's tree. However, the model for his legendary home is less than half an hour away, on the grounds of Hampton University: the Emancipation Oak.

Named one of the Ten Great Trees of the World by the National Geographic Society, the tree is one of many live oaks in the South. (For those curious about the name -- the "live" part of "live oak" refers to its evergreen nature, keeping its foliage even in the winter. For the sake of prettiness we'll red and orange up Herne's tree, but we already know he likes to redecorate even if it doesn't match the workings of nature!

Under this tree in 1861, schoolteacher Mary Peake held lessons for newly freed slaves. A school was eventually built nearby. And in 1863, the tree was the site of the first Southern reading of the Emancipation Proclamation -- hence the tree's name.

There's lots more information about Mary Peake, the school, and the history of the Emancipation Oak over on the Hampton University website. Be sure to check it out!

The main notable difference between the Emancipation Oak and Herne's tree, at least visually speaking, is the span of the branches. While live oaks like this one will tend to have a couple branches that would dip close enough to the ground for climbing, we thought it best to give Herne his privacy. A little awkward for Iris, but helpful for a nature deity who wants to be left alone.

We're looking forward to offering more glimpses into our books as we go. Is there anything in particular you're curious about the background of? Hit us up on Twitter!

The Real Site of Herne's Forest (Formerly)

Fans and regular readers may have picked up by now that there are a few real-world inspirations behind William's Grove, the town in which Owl's Flower primarily takes place. The fictional Virginia city is based heavily on the Hampton Roads area of southeast Virginia: an historical area that is both heavily forested and near several rivers and swamps. Excellent for peat and tobacco then, fun for travelers now.

In particular, there's Herne's forest "home": an undeveloped area that forms the "barrier" between the William's Grove City Center and Iris's neighborhood, complete with a ravine and a footpath. While there are plenty of largely untouched forests in the area (and many others around the country), Herne's was based largely on Kara's memories of the forest and ravine near her school...

Which, as you can see from this photo taken yesterday, is half gone.

Up until recent years, the ravine -- which is right near Kara's old grade school, itself on the banks of the James River -- was heavily overgrown and untended, a strip of woods between Kara's neighborhood and the area's high-end waterfront houses. There were bridges and paths for safe walking, as well as a little outdoor "classroom" with benches, but kids were Absolutely Not Supposed To Play There. This was partly because climbing down into the creek bed (which all the kids wanted to do) was precarious, but largely because it eventually became the site of a few attacks after dark.

In the past decade or so, the city has cleared out a good portion of the trees around the creek bed and done some upkeep on the footpath, making it a safer area for walking. Go closer to the school parking lot and there's still a small wooded area, complete with the outdoor classroom and dubious bridge.

There was never a live oak like Herne's in this area, but it wouldn't be out of place here. The inspiration for that is one city over in Hampton -- locals know it as the Emancipation Oak.

Which we'll talk about next week!

For now, be sure to hit up our Instagram if you'd like more nature photos and sneak peeks at future books!