HOLLY HILL, Fla. – Tourists simply passing through Holly Hill will likely never find this spot, though it’s well-known to many of the locals.
The “Holly Hill Gnome Tree” is located along Riverside Drive, and as its name suggests, it is crawling in garden gnomes of all types.
According to the local museum, the whole project began in 2003 thanks to the efforts of Virginia “Ms. Ginny” Morris, a nearby resident.
The fabled story goes that a family of gnomes was traveling to the U.S. from Europe, though a storm blew their ship onto a coral reef.
As a result, the family was forced into a dinghy and swept away to the Halifax River, leading the gnomes to take root in Holly Hill.
The tree soon became a staple of the town, with visitors from around the world showing up to leave gnomes at the base of the tree.
However, the growing number of gnomes prompted the city to issue warnings to Morris, telling her to remove all but the original five gnomes — Hall, Lee, Hill, Harry and Gee-Paw.
“While I think the novelty of the Gnome tree remains a wonderful idea, presently the display has grown well beyond what it was portrayed to be,” a letter from then-City Manager Joseph Forte reads.
Despite the warnings, Morris negotiated an agreement with the city, which allowed the gnomes to stay but limited their size.
Museum staff told News 6 that visitors continue to add gnomes to the tree, though they’re typically taken back indoors during heavy storms and hurricanes.
In addition, visitors can leave notes and letters to the gnomes using a small door at the base of the tree.
Many of these letters are archived at the museum, and guests can ask to read through them for a look at what sorts of people have visited the Holly Hill Gnome Tree.
Some ask for help with love, some make jokes about the gnomes, and others ask for help dealing with issues like cancer and divorce.
[SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW SOME OF THE LETTERS LEFT BY VISITORS. THE STORY CONTINUES BELOW.]
Aside from letters, the museum keeps on display many of the toys, personal belongings and gnomes who didn’t quite meet the size requirement that were left at the tree by visitors.
To check out the display yourself, you can head to the Holly Hill Museum at 1066 Ridgewood Ave.
The museum is open from 12 – 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
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