April 1, 1932 – April 17, 2025
By Chip Carroll
For many of you who have visited or spent any time at the United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary near Rutland, Ohio, you likely know or at least have heard of Bea Wood. Words cannot do justice to a human being such as Bea Wood. I will share a little slice of my good fortune and experience in getting to know Bea and try to express what Bea Wood meant to this land and community. The United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary AKA Goldenseal Sanctuary is situated on nearly 400 acres of forest and fields that was the home to the Wood Family beginning in around 1950 when Bea and her late husband, Lee Wood purchased the “grown over” farm. They immediately got to work clearing back the land and preparing ground for cultivation. Keep in mind that at this time there was no electricity service to these farms, no water lines, and so no refrigeration or air conditioners.
Bea’s husband, Lee Wood was the first or second person to be hired at the new Gavin Coal Fired Power Plant located along the Ohio River about 15 miles from the Sanctuary. This provided them with the income to bring the land back to life and begin a family. Bea grew vegetables and raised hogs for her family, but also for the neighbors and other workers at the new power plant. Bea kept meticulous records of the crops she raised, their yields, how many quarts, pints, and gallons she canned every year as well as sales records for all her produce sales. I’m lucky enough to have seen some of these handwritten records and the amount of food that Bea put up annually was truly amazing. Beyond crops from the gardens, wild foods such as ramps, berries, and more would find their way into a can or onto a table regularly. Bea wore so many hats and played so many roles in countless people’s lives. She was both a Rural Mail Carrier for USPS as well as a bus driver for Meigs County Local Schools. She was committed to her church during her entire life, and everyone in this county knew her or knew of her.
Had Lee and Bea Wood not purchased this farm in 1950 and laid the foundation of family and stewardship, United Plant Savers (UpS) may have never come into existence. It was on this same land, around 1995 that Rosemary Gladstar, Paul Strauss, and a few other herbalists recognized the vast populations of woodland Medicinals occurring here and formed UpS.
I first met Bea in 1997 on one of my first visits to the UpS Sanctuary. She was so welcoming (beyond welcoming), inviting me into her home, making me sit at the table, and insisting on feeding and talking to me. I immediately loved her and felt like she was my own grandmother, showering me with that grandmotherly kindness and genuineness (not to mention good old-fashioned food and flavors). Over the next nearly 30 years I watched this same scenario play out countless times. She was perhaps the most welcoming and kind human being I have ever known. I would often encourage our interns to go and introduce themselves to Bea, who would always open the door for them and help them or just listen and share with them. Many of our past interns would continue to write to Bea or even call her occasionally long after their time here.
Bea continued to live in her home, at the front of the UpS Sanctuary until she passed away this Spring. She spent nearly her entire life on this piece of land from the age of 18 until she was 93. Bea was featured in the documentary, “Sanctity of Sanctuary.”
Bea certainly created an endless legacy that lives on through her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great, great grandchildren, and this magical piece of land. Several white pine stands that Lee and Bea planted here will live on in their remembrance. However, in reality the entire sanctuary, all its resources and treasures, the wildlife and beauty, the energy, and the sacredness found here are in large part because of Bea. We all recognize these types of family matriarchs without which we may wonder if any of this would be possible.
