I didn't realize goal posts could be decorated until the 1970's. I don't recall seeing such in my Kenan Stadium field design research.
When the Olmsted Brothers designed possible permutations of Davidson's new athletic fields in the 1920s, a tree on Sprunt Field is not shown. https://flic.kr/p/2gALwtv
The tree may have held symbolic value for the school- there are some trees on campuses that do hold that distinction. I can't remember the exact details, but there have been some incidents where such trees have come down, and uproars resulted.
I didn't realize goal posts could be decorated until the 1970's. I don't recall seeing such in my Kenan Stadium field design research.
When the Olmsted Brothers designed possible permutations of Davidson's new athletic fields in the 1920s, a tree on Sprunt Field is not shown. https://flic.kr/p/2gALwtv
Interesting. I found another 1922 image of the crowd on the field at Sprunt, presumably at halftime, but does not show either end of the field.
The tree may have held symbolic value for the school- there are some trees on campuses that do hold that distinction. I can't remember the exact details, but there have been some incidents where such trees have come down, and uproars resulted.
There was a tree outside the end zone at Ursinus that eventually came down, but at least it was beyond the playing field during its life.