Eclectic tree a tourist attraction in Morgan County

LAURIE, Mo. -- Thousands of people stop in Alice Massey's front lawn every year.

Although she doesn't keep a running count of the number of tourists to this central Missouri town who show an interest in her front lawn each summer, she says it's easy to estimate at least 1,000 people stop, stare, ask questions and even pose for a picture.

All of the added attraction is due to an ordinary tree -- commonly referred to by locals as the Cup Tree.

Massey, 57, says she isn't sure what kind of tree it was, but the hollow remains have started to lean and a wind of any stature will cause it to sway from side to side. But that doesn't deter people from stopping and asking questions and sometimes even leaving a cup.

Unsure of its origin, other than rumors and legends, Massey said her parents, Fred and Zelma Moore, started the Cup Tree more than 40 years ago.

"There have been a couple of different stories about that old tree over the years," Massey said. "One story I heard was my mom was mad at my dad and she started throwing coffee cups at him in the front yard, and he caught them and hung them on the tree."

The second story Massey said she heard conjured up was that tourists would stop and get a drink. They would bring their own cups and when they were finished, they would leave them hanging on the tree.

"I don't know if either of those two stories are even true," she jokes.

Several years ago, Massey said the tree was covered to the top with cups, but weather and occasional gusts of wind constantly tinkered with the cups, causing several to fall to the ground and break.

"I have so many cups around this place that have come off that old tree," she said. "I would never throw them away or get rid of them, but that poor old tree just can't handle them any more."

When the tree died several years ago, Massey said termites took over and have pretty much destroyed the inside, causing it to be weak.

"We wired the tree up years ago because we didn't want it to fall down," she said. "But it just doesn't have the strength to hold every cup that every person leaves behind."

The Cup Tree is located on Cup Tree Drive, also known as Lake Road 135-3 in Morgan County, near Laurie.

"Before the road was paved we had a lot of tourists come out. But since they paved the road, the number of tourists really increased," she said.

In a garden next to the tree sit several tea pots, all of a different design. At one time, Massey said, the teapots were hanging in the tree next to the cups.

Massey said it would be hard to know how many times the tree has been photographed over the years.

"It would have to be up in the millions I would guess," she said. "At one time, there was a post card circulating around with that tree featured on the front of it. It's just an interesting thing to look at, I guess."