Historic, archived document
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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION No. 295..-
U.S. DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE (hus ,)9%
-
Figure
No.
H> GO DOF
se OO eo
49.
50.
. Arkansas Council Oak, Dardanelle, IAT: Mies TCE
. Treaty Oak, Temple Heights, Washington, D. G
. Lincoln Oak, near Maryland-District line, D. C
. Mullan Tree, Fourth of July Canyon, Tdaho
. Old Creek Tribal Council Tree, Tulsa, Okla__
. Fort Hunter Buttonwood, near Harrisburg, Pa
. Daniel Boone’s ‘‘Bar Tree,” Washington County, Tenn__________
. Marshalli@akeMiarsinallles Ma clits i ay eee ee
. Lanier Oak, Brunswick, Ga
. Glebe Oak, Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D. C___-
. Witness Tree, Lancaster County, Pac Sore ao eee faa
. Oak That Owns Itself, Athens, Ga
. Sacred Oak of the Delaware Indians, Oley Valley, Pa_
_ Mothers of America Tree, Capitol Grounds, Washington, De €
. Parent Washington Nav el Orange Tree, Riv erside, Calif _
. Shipmast locust trees, Long Island, N. Y
. Canyon Live Oak, Stanislaus National Forest, Calif
. Dense stand of California redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens)
. General Sherman Bigtree (Sequoia washingtoniana), Sequoia National
. The Great Elm, Wethersfield, Conn
. Twin sassafras trees, Soldiers’ Home Grounds, Washington, D. C____
. Locke Breaux Live Oak, St. Charles Parish, La
. Hohen Solms Pecan, 36 miles south of Baton Rouge, La__
. Wye Mills Oak, about 9 miles from Easton, Md
. Largest white pine in Lake States region, near Pike Bay, Minn
. White oak in Friends’ Cemetery, Salem, N. J_
. Bald cypress, the biggest tree in ‘Oklahoma, near Eagletown me
. Old Utah, aged juniper, Cache National Forest, Utah
_ Veteran rock maple of Vermont’s oldest sugar orchard, Pine Grove
. Giant arborvitae, Snohomish County, Wash
. Largest Douglas fir tree, near Mineral, Wash____
. Twin white pines, Nicolet National Forest, Wis
ILLUSTRATIONS
TreEEs AssociaTED WitH NovraBLE PERSONS, EVENTS, OR PLACES
Recan treessab Moumba Vier oii Vices ee eee eee
Washington Elm, Capitol Grounds, Washington, D. C
WANs aubarearora, I tueKerovols) avg) Ines JaenON ley bo
John Quincy Adams Eln, White House Grounds, Washington, D. C__
Old beech at Wheatland, home of President Buchanan, near Lan-
caster; “Bans A428 se ge Fe Ue are ee a ee
Jackson Magnolias, White House Grounds, Washington, D. C_______
General Lafayette Balsam Poplar, Geneva, N. Y__________-.
Cameron Elm, Capitol Grounds, W ashington, Dae
John Goodway Sycamore, near Linglestown, Pa
Governor Hogg Pecan, Austin, Texas______
Indian trail trees, Illinois _
. Council Oak, Sioux Cityelowasesees
. LaFitte Wine Oak, Jefferson Parish, eae
. Twin Pines, Beawerhevd National Forest, Mont.
_ Hendrik Hudson’s s Tuliptree, Inwood Park, INew, York; INj2 ¥
. Lombardy Poplar at Fort Niagara, N. Y., survivor of a group of pop-
lars planted by the French 200 years ago __
TrEES NoTaBLE FOR UNUSUAL SIZE OR AGE
Park eC allitics 0 0) oso ROD con lee ae Sk a Veo ge en
Farm, Voss fe See Sa se ae ees ge te ee eg sae rs
FREAK TREES
Live oak on “a table’’ built of its own roots, Ocala National Forest,
Mae iS 2 ke Fa ae te Pa ce ey en oe
Paulownia tree housing a husky offspring, Rockport, Tanto os eee
Lyre Tree at Livingston, N. J__
Page
____ Front cover
106
109
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION No. 295
Issued June 1938
Washington, D. C. - Slightly revised August 1939
FAMOUS TREES
By CHARLES EK. RANDALL and D. PRISCILLA EDGERTON, Division of Information
and Education, Forest Service
CONTENTS
Page Page
Trees associated with notable persons, events, — Trees associated with notable persons, events,
and places_ eee ree ee 1 and places—Continued.
rees associated with notable people_____~ 2 Trees with peculis ssthetic or senti-
ees pssdclated with the building of the + Be AT aeea erations ey os Eero: e 59
Trees associated directly with educators Blois Of ea aN oie y
or educational institutions. _........... 43 | Trees notable for unusual size or age_ _-_--___ 66
Trees associated particularly with writers Old or large trees in the United States__-__ 66
andslitera tune ms ses se ene ee 47 Outstanding foreign rivals___----.________ 101
Trees associated with religion_____________ DO} ereaketrees qa eee een eet ee 102
Trees that have had special protection____ Houperberatune cite dss == a whan. he ee eae 111
TREES ASSOCIATED WITH NOTABLE PERSONS, EVENTS, AND PLACES
VERY land, every clime, has its trees, and in the lore of every age
tree stories are found,
In the United States there is abundant tree growth of the most use-
ful species. The Nation has been quite literally nurtured in a wooden
cradle, and its progress has been largely due to the contributions of
the forest. The pioneers cut paths through the wilderness—from east
to west and from north to south—and the forest harvest has gone
into home and community building.
On all sides there is abundant evidence that forests are essential
to civilized man’s welfare. The individual tree, however, has an even
more intimate part to play mm human experience, a part so universal
that every country has its famous tree citizens.
Trees by their very nature are landmarks and memorials. They are
therefore identified with human happenings. Also, trees, having
more than the allotted life span of man, carry their associations
through generations of men and women. Thus they often figure not
only in biography but also in history.
Trees are loved by all kinds of people. Therefore they are immor-
talized by poets and artists, and their historical associations are
perpetuated by churches and schools, by various crganizations and
communities.
Several hundred descriptions of, or incidents about trees, taken from
reports coming to the Forest Service and from records and library
165253°—39 1 1
MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
~o)
references? are included in this publication. They. are from almost
every State in the Union and deal with many species. In a complete
story of notable trees, however, there wou ild be so many chapters
that it is impossible to tell it all at once or for one person to do the
telling. The compilation 1 is necessarily incomplete, and many notable
tree favorites may have been omitted.
TREES ASSOCIATED WITH NOTABLE PEOPLE
Since one almost invariable element of greatness seems to be a
love of nature, trees are found entering into the interests of famous
men and women. It is significant that tree stories are associated with
many of our Presidents. The first tree lover of them all, Washing-
ton, planted many trees, and many other trees are living memorials
to him.
Living trees planted by Washington or under his direction at
Mount Vernon include tuliptrees, buckeyes, elms, pecans (see front
cover), hollies, lindens, hemlocks, mulberries, and others. Trees di-
rectly associated with Washington in at least a dozen Eastern States
swell the number bearing his name toward the hundred mark.
Next to the W ashington Elm in Cambridge (now dead), under
which the leader of the American Revolutionary forces assumed
command in 1775, probably the most notable Washineton trees now
living are ;
The W ashington Elm at Berkeley Springs. W. Va., associated with
the surveying days of the young Washington while in the employ of
Lord Fairfax. In W ashington? S journal of this survey. written in
1747, an entry indicates that he was greatly impressed by the medici-
nal value of certain springs near Berkeley, which, according to tra-
dition, were exciting factors in Indian warfare. After the settle-
ment by white pioneers, Washington planted an American elm at
the intersection of the growing town’s principal thoroughfare, Wash-
ington Street, with another street marking the southern boundary of
the grant of Lord Fairfax. The tree today is 21 feet in circumfer-
ence at its base.
The Washington Elm facing the east entrance to the Senate wing
of the United States Capitol, under which the first President w atched
the building of that structure (fig. 1).
The W ashington Elm Grandehild, a descendant of the Washington
Elm at Cambridge, Mass., was plantea as a Washington Bicentennial
tree on the erounds of the State capitol in Hartford, Conn., on March
31,1988. It was accepted by the Governor of the State, and, having
been given good care, is in excellent condition.
A “orandchild” of the Cambridge, Mass., elm now growing on the
front lawn of the American Tree Association office “building, 1214
Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, D. C.
Among the many descendants of the Washington (Cambridge )
Elm are one at Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass. sam: «ca pedi-
greed scion” on the campus of the University of Washington at
Seattle. A sturdy sapling, propagated from a limb of the “Seattle
’ Acknowledgment is made to Beryl G. Gardner, assistant editor, and Melissa Speer,
assistant librarian, Forest Service, for assistance with reference material, to donors of
photographs used herein, and to others who have offered helpful criticisms in the compila-
tion of this publication.
FAMOUS TREES 3
offspring, was set out in the university’s botanical gardens in April
1930 to replace the Cambridge ancestor when the park department
of that city is ready to receive it.
Cogswell Maple. New Preston, Litchfield, Conn. This is said to
be the largest maple in Comnecticut. The house which stands in its
shade was once an inn where George Washington was entertained
on one of his trips to Connecticut.
F—321126
FIGURE 1.—WASHINGTON ELM, OPPOSITE THE EAST ENTRANCE TO THE SENATE
WING, UNITED STATES CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D. C.
The Great Elm, at Palmer, Mass., from the shade of which Wash-
ington addressed his troops 3 days before he took command of the
Continental Army at Cambridge, July a Ay.
White oak, Gaylordsville, Conn., under whose shade tradition says
George Washington held council When on his w ay to Hartford in
September 1780. This tree stands near the Shagticoke Trail. It is
owned by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution,
who are caring for it. Incidentally, in 1932 Connecticut D. A. R.’s
4 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
alone planted more than 6,000 trees at scattered points in the State
in honor of the Father of his Country.
Elm near Washington’s headquarters at Valley Forge. Beneath
this tree there is a marker which bears the following inscription:
This elm, a scion of a tree planted by George Washington, was brought here
and planted in December 1888 by the State Secretary of the Patriotic Order
of Sons of America.
Washington Ball Walnut, Maplewood, N. J. Historic walnut on
Ridgewood Road, planted beside the Timothy Ball house at the time
it was built, in 1743. Here Washington frequently visited his Ball
relatives while headquartering at Morristown. On such visits, accord-
ing to tradition, he tied his horse to an iron ring attached to this tree.
This tree is also referred to by George W. Clark, a great grandson
of Timothy Ball, as a tree of tremendous size and as a dividing line
between the congregations of the Presbyterian Churches, one at
Orange and the “other at Springfield, N. J., those on the south
attending one church and those on the north, the other.
W ashington Friendship Tree (horsechestnut) at Bath, Pa. This
tree is said to be a memorial to the friendship existing between
Gen. George Washington and Gen. Robert Brown in Revolutionary
days. On one of General Brown’s visits to Mount Vernon, when
peace had come, Washington dug from his garden two young ’ horse-
chestnuts and presented them to his friend, who carried the saplings
on horseback over the mountains into the hills of Pennsylvania,
where they were planted at the home of General Brown at Bath.
Only one of the trees is alive today (fig. 2).
Ww ashington Live Oak at Charleston, S. C. Washington visited
Charleston in 1791, and here, so the story goes, was an honored
breakfast guest in the beautiful plantation home of the distinguished
Pinckney ‘family. He heard the mistress of the household order
her gardener to cut down the large oak which obstructed the view
from the new portico. Washington, great tree lover that he was,
expressed the wish that the tree be spared. It was.
Other presidents were known for their interest in trees.
John Quincy Adams was known as “the tree-planting Mr. Adams.”
Thomas Jefferson was a well- known tree lover and tree planter.
There is a “President’s grove” at Fremont, Ohio, the home of Ruther-
ford B. Hayes, nineteenth President of the United States, many of
the trees having been christened by former Presidents at times when
they visited the park. There are many General Grant trees in the
world, planted in his honor during his trip around the world.
Theodore Roosevelt is perhaps best known as “the great conserva-
tionist” because of his interest in wise use of the forests and other
resources.
Among well known trees of the Presidents are:
The John Quincy Adams Elm (fig. 3), on the White House grounds
near the east entrance, Washington, D. C., planted during the admin-
istration of President J ohn Quiney Adams.
At Wheatland, near Lancaster, Pa., the beautiful and carefully
preserved estate of James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the
United States, there are a number of fine old trees, notably a beautiful
old beech (fig. 4). Wheatland is open to the "public as a shrine
FAMOUS TREES
FIGURE 2.—WASHINGTON FRIENDSHIP TREE, BATH, PA.
F—320334
6 MISG. PUBLICATION 295, U. S> DEPT. OF AGRICUETURE
egies Toate
ere et
FIGURE 3.—JOHN QUINCY ADAMS ELM ON THE WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS NEAR THE
EAST ENTRANCE, WASHINGTON, D. C.
of historic interest. (This story and the picture were contributed
by W. E. Weisgerber, Franklin and Marshall College. Lancaster, Pa. )
Grant Elm, Woodstock, Conn., planted by President Grant, July 4
1870, on the lawn in front of the Woodstock Academy.
Elm from Grant’s farm, near St. Louis, Mo., planted near his tomb
on Riverside Drive, New York City.
Scarlet oak planted by Mary Lodge McKee, granddaughter of
President Benjamin Harrison, on the White House lawn, Washing-
ton, D. C.
Famous Indiana Oak, Lafayette, Ind., under which Wiliam Henry
Harrison once camped for the night while on a momentous journey.
FAMOUS TREES 7
Cottonwood near the State capitol, Topeka, Kans., under which
Harrison, McKinley, and Taft made campaign speeches.
The Oak of Two Presidents. William Henr y and Benjamin Har-
rison, in Hamilton County, Ohio, neighbor of the cabin famous in
the Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign and as the birthplace of
the second President Harrison.
FIGURE 4.—FINE OLD BEECH AT WHEATLAND, HOME OF PRESIDENT BUCHANAN.
NEAR LANCASTER, PA.
The Hayes Elm, planted by President Hayes on the White House
grounds,
Six tall hickory trees flanking the tomb of Andrew Jackson and his
wife, Rachel, at the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn.
8 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Magnohas brought from the Hermitage and planted by President
aie aCcon on the W hite House grounds in honor of Rachel, shortly
after her death. “Something green—in her memory,” as he said
(fig. 5).
Jefferson Pecans at Mount Vernon, Va. (front cover). Thomas
Jefferson and George Washington were kindred spirits in their love
of trees. The two pecan trees on the lawn southeast and east of the
mansion at Mount Vernon are an outstanding illustration of this
congeniality. They were grown from nuts given to Washington by
Jefferson and planted by the former on March 25, Vt: They are
the oldest trees now standing on the estate.
F—321116
FIGURE 5.—MAGNOLIAS PLANTED BY PRESIDENT JACKSON ON THE WHITE HOUSE
GROUNDS, WASHINGTON, D. C.
The Jefferson Pecan in the Georgetown Convent grounds, District
of Columbia, grown from a nut given by Jefferson to the former
owner.
The Lincoln Oak, on the Rock Spring Farm, Lincoln’s birthplace,
at Hodgenville, Ky.
The Lincoln Oak, southern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), in Rock-
port, county seat of Spencer County, i This splendid oak stands
FAMOUS TREES 9
a short distance from the point on the Ohio River at which Abraham
Lincoln, at the age of 19, embarked on the first great adventure of
his life, going with Allen Gentry on a flatboat to New Orleans to
market the Gentry produce.
The Lincoln Elm, in the northern part of Spencer County, Ind.,
in the State park where Lincoln’s mother is buried.
The Lincoln Memorial Hackberry, Decorah, Iowa, was planted in
memory of Abraham Lincoln by John Finn on April 27, 1865, the
day that Governor Stone of Iowa set aside as a day of mourning ior
Lincoln. On that day Finn went into the woods, found a small
hackberry tree, and transplanted it to the parking on the street in
front of his home. It has grown to be one of the most magnificent
trees in Iowa.
Lincoln Oak, Litchfield, Conn. This oak was grown from an acorn
from a tree at Lincoln’s grave in Springfield, Hl. It was planted
in front of the library as part of the bicentennial celebration of the
town in 1920.
McKinley Elm, Woodstock, Conn. This tree was planted in Rose-
land Park in 1897 in honor of President McKinley.
McKinley Oak, Litchfield, Conn., planted in East Park by Mary
Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R., in memory of President Mc-
Kinley, who was a great lover of trees.
McKinley Scarlet Oak, planted near walk leading to Executive
Offices of the White House, Washington, in 1898.
The Monroe Pine, at Ashlawn, near Charlottesville, Va. This
great red pine was brought from France by President Monroe and
planted in the center of his garden.
The Monroe Black Walnut, campus of University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, near the building which was the home of the fifth
President of the United States before he moved to Ashlawn.
The Russo-American Oak, planted on the White House grounds,
Washington, by Theodore Roosevelt, is from an acorn of an oak
growing near Peterhof, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which, im
its turn, was from an acorn of an oak that shaded the tomb of Wash-
ington. United States Ambassador Hitchcock brought the Peterhof
acorn from Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Roosevelt Oak, East Haven, Conn. This tree, presented by Theo-
dore Roosevelt, while President, was planted on Arbor Day, May 1,
1908, to mark the site where General Lafayette encamped on the
green.
A Scotch elm, which is located near the hospital of Michigan State
College, Kast Lansing, was planted by President Theodore Roosevelt
in June 1907, in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of this
institution. ;
Lafayette was so loved and admired in this country as a friend
of the Colonies, of the young Republic, and of its first President,
that many landmarks associated with him are found in the East.
Lafayette trees include:
Lafayette Elm in Kennebunk, Maine, and one near Ware, Mass.
The Lafayette Swamp Bay in front of Nelson House at York-
town, Va., which Lafayette is reported to have planted.
Lafayette White Oak, near Bradley House, Southington, Conn.,
meeting place of Lafayette with his troops, while on his way to meet
Washington’s army.
10 MISC: PUBLICATION, 295, U.S. DERITOE AGCRIGUREURE
F—321102
FIGURE 6.—GENERAL LAFAYETTE TREE (BALSAM POPLAR), ON HAMILTON STREET,
ROUTE 20, JUST WEST OF GENEVA, N. Y.
Lafayette, or Geneva Century Balsam Poplar, on Hamilton Street,
Route 20, just west of Geneva, N. Y. This tree (fig. 6) shades the
spot to which the militia and citizens of Geneva came to welcome
General Lafayette on the occasion of his visit to that city on June
8, 1825. A tablet has been erected at the base of the tree by the
ae a Chapter, D. A. R. (See Trees notable for unusual size or
AE 89. )
pore ette Sycamore, near Baltimore Pike, on a hill 200 yards east
of the Brandywine Baptist Church, near Chadds Ford, Delaware
FAMOUS TREES ll
County, Pa.. is close to the house occupied by General Lafayette
as his headquarters before the Battle of the Brandywine, September
10 and 11, 1777
Trees intimately associated with other famous people include the
following:
CALIFORNIA
Sir Joseph Hooker Oak, at Chico, named for the famous English
botanist, who pronounced it “the largest oak in the world.” In
reality it 1s only among the largest. (See Trees notable for unusual
size or age, p. 69.)
Kit Carson Tree (juniper), which stood at the summit of Carson
Pass over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This tree has been cut
down, but the section bearing Carson’s name is preserved at Sutter’s
Fort, Sacramento. Kit Carson, American hunter and scout, accom-
pamied John C. Fremont on expeditions, took part in the Mexican
War, and as Indian agent for many years at Taos, N. Mex., exercised
a restraining influence over the warlike Apaches and other tribes.
During the Civil War he rendered valuable aid to the Federal cause
in the Southwest. Often called “the Nestor of the Recky Mountains,”
Kit Carson occupied, in the later period of American pioneer history.
a position somewhat similar to that held by Daniel Boone earlier.
as the typical frontier hero and Indian fighter.
The Peter Lassen Pine, about 5 miles southeast of Susanville.
close to which, the story goes, Peter Lassen was killed by Indians.
CONNECTICUT
Calhoun Elm, Litchfield. John C. Calhoun, South Carolina states-
man, planted this tree on Prospect Street, when he was a student at
the Litchfield Law School, the first law school in the United States.
Colvorcoresses Oak, Litchfield. This tree was planted in East Park
in commemoration of the return of Rear Admiral George P. Col-
voreoresses from the Battle of Mamla Bay (May 1, 1898), where
he was executive officer on Admiral Dewey’s flagship.
Sarah Whitman Hooker Elm, West Hartford. This elm was
planted in front of the house which came into possession of the
Hookers in 1773, by_a slave of the Hooker family who was later
given his freedom. It is one of the largest elms in the State.
Napoleon Willow Grandchild, Fairfield. A willow, which became
a favorite of Napoleon, had been planted on St. Helena by the
governor of the island. Captain Sheffield, of Fairfield, once visited
St. Helena and brought home several willow cuttings. One grew
into a beautiful big tree but was blown down in a thunderstorm in
1901. The present willow came from a cutting of the Sheffield tree
and is therefore a grandchild of the St. Helena willow. It stands on
the property of Egbert Hadley, Harbor Road, Southport.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Cameron Elm, an American elm, south of the House wing of
the United States Capitol, named for United States Senator Cameron,
who pleaded for its life when it was about to be removed in the
laying of the curb (fig. 7).
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FAMOUS TREES 13
Maple planted in memory of Juhette Low, founder of the Girl
Scouts of America, at Eighteenth Street and New York Avenue, NW,
Washington, D. C., by the Girl Scouts of the District of Columbia.
J. Sterling Morton Elm, United States Capitol Grounds, planted
in memory of the founder of Arbor Day, by Chief Forester R. Y.
Stuart, in 1932. Another living memorial to J. Sterling Morton is
an elm planted by the Nebraska Society at 1214 Sixteenth Street, NW,
Washington, D. C., headquarters of the American Tree Association.
IOWA
Buffalo Bill Elm. Near the old river town of LeClaire, in the
shade of this tree, William F. Cody played when a boy. This elm
is known also as the “Green Tree Hotel”, because it was the rendez-
vous of river men who came to LeClaire in search of employment.
In its grateful shade they congregated, cooked their meals, and spread
their blankets, making its shelter their home in time of unemploy-
ment.
KANSAS
The Custer Elm, at Council Grove, under which General Custer
camped one night in 1867, while on his way with his famous Seventh
Cavalry to quell an Indian uprising along the old Santa Fe Trail.
Kat Carson Elm, near Halstead on the bank of Black Kettle Creek,
served as a marker for the Arapahoe and Osage Indian hunters. It
was here that Kit Carson and his band of pioneers, camping for the
night, were surprised by the Comanche Indians.
MARYLAND
The Clara Barton Centennial Oak, at Glen Echo, was planted by
a representative of the American Forestry Association, Easter Sun-
day in 1922, in front of the house where the founder of the American
Red Cross died on Easter Sunday 1912. Clara Barton was born on
Christmas Day, 1821, in Massachusetts.
NEW YORK
Friendship Elm (American elm), planted in 1860 on the Mall in
Central Park, New York City, by King Edward VII, then Prince
of Wales.
Friendship Elm (English elm), planted by the Duke of Windsor,
then Prince of Wales, in Central Park, New York City, in 1920. It
is 100 feet from the spot where his grandfather planted an American
elm in 1860.
European green beech planted by the Queen of the Belgians, in
Central Park, New York City, in 1919, as a token of Belgium’s
enduring affection for the people of the United States.
The W ayne Black Walnut, or Black Walnut of Stony Point, takes
its name from association with Mad Anthony Wayne, Revolutionary
hero, and its location at Stony Point, N. Y. Also, the belef has
been handed down that, under this old walnut tree, the patriots of
Stony Point were paid by Washington after the battle. There seems
to be no reason to doubt that the tree was there at the time, and
the shade of its branches must have made the spot most fitting for
such an occasion on a hot July day (7/, pp &§2-83)-
2 Italic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature cited, pp. 111-115.
14 MISC. PUBLICATION 295; U. Ss DEPX. OF AGRICUL U RD
NORTH CAROLINA
Blackboard’s (Teach’s) Oak, at Oriental, associated with that dar-
ing pirate, Edward Teach.
PENNSYLVANIA
John Bartrain’s Cypress, brought in his saddlebag from a Florida
swamp to the botanical garden near Philadelphia.
FIGURE 8.—JOHN GOODWAY SYCAMORE, NEAR THE SITE OF FORT GILCHRIST, OF
REVOLUTIONARY TIMES, 2 MILES WEST OF LINGLESTOWN, PA. (COURTESY OF
C. A. REED, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.)
The John Goodway Sycamore (fig. 8), near the site of Fort Guil-
christ of Revolutionary times, 2 miles west of Linglestown, Dauphin
County, associated with John Goodway, last of the friendly Indians
FAMOUS TREES 15
in the region about Harrisburg. (See Trees notable for unusual size
or age, p. 93.)
Tradition has it that a grove of giant hemlocks at Stenton, Ger-
mantown, once the country place of James Logan, William Penn’s
secretary, was planted by Penn himself. This tradition has not been
authenticated, but the trees are very old (S2).
TEXAS
Davy Crockett Tree, an ancient oak at Crockett, under which Davy
Crockett 1s said to have camped during his journey from the States
to assist Texas in its struggle for freedom from Mexican rule. Not
long after he camped there he met death in the historic battle of the
Alamo.
FIGURE 9.—NUT TREES PLANTED AT THE GRAVE OF GOVERNOR HOGG, IN AUSTIN,
TEX... IN COMPLIANCE WITH HIS DEATHBED REQUEST THAT SUCH A MONUMENT
RATHER THAN ONE OF STONE BE ERECTED TO HIM. (COURTESY OF C. A. REED,
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.)
The Governor Hogg Pecan (fig. 9). The governor’s last wish was
that “no monument of stone or marble” be placed at his grave, but
instead that there be planted—
at my head a pecan tree and at my feet an old fashioned walnut; and when
these trees shall bear, let the pecans and walnuts be given out among the plains
people of Texas so that they may plant them and make Texas a land of trees.
His wish is being carried out. The first nuts were saved in 1926
and planted at College Station. Each year since, the nuts have been
gathered and planted in nursery rows. As soon as the young trees
become large enough to transplant, they are dug up and distributed,
one each, first to county high schools, next to other high schools, and
last to county boards for planting on courthouse lawns.
_-The Sam Houston Pecan Tree. Under this famous tree, standing
in the well-kept yard of Sam Houston’s old home at Huntsville.
16 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
General Houston smoked the peace pipe with his Indian friends “and
with his ‘paleface’ comrades planned many a political campaign.”
J. L. Clark, Sam Houston State Teachers College, Huntsville, advises
that nuts or seedlings from this tree may be had for planting on school
grounds, in parks, and in other appropriate places. ane
Santa Anna’s Surrender Tree, immortalized in a noted painting, is
the oak under which Gen. Sam Houston lay wounded after the battle
of San Jacinto (Apr. 21, 1836) when the captive Mexican General
Santa Anna was brought before him. Beneath this tree today stands a
oranite marker, a gift of San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of
the Republic of Texas in commemoration of that eventful surrender.
VIRGINIA
The Clay Oak, Hanover County, a post oak to which the “Millboy
ot the Slashes,” Henry Clay, tied his horse when sent on errands to a
mill near his birthplace in a district called “the Slashes’—hence the
sobriquet. The oak bears a marker to this effect. Though nearly 150
years have passed, the ruins of the dam at the site of the old mil! may
still be seen. The ground is now occupied by the plant of the Ashland
Lumber Co. and may be reached by turning west at the Ash Cake
Inn on the Richmond-Washington Highway (48, p. 4).
Stratford Horsechestnut, Stratford-on-the-Potomac, family home
of the Lees, mentioned in Gen. Robert E. Lee’s diary as having been
planted by his mother, Anne Carter Lee.
Maury Walnut (black), Fredericksburg, proudly spreads its
branches over the home of the “Pathfinder of the Seas,” Matthew Fon-
taine Maury. (See also Trees that have had special protection,
Ds 095)
The Martha Custis Yew, at Williamsburg, an English yew, which
tradition claims was planted by Martha Custis while still the wife of
Daniel Parke Custis. It is in the park area of the Eastern State Hos-
pital (58, p. 27).
WISCONSIN
“The Forest of Fame,” in Mount Vernon, Wis., was started in 1916
by the late John Sweet Donald, one-time Secretary of State and pro-
fessor of agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin.
Within the forest boundaries are trees from birthplaces of former
Presidents of the United States, famous generals of the world, and
personages associated with religion, science, music, agriculture, com-
merce. While Professor Donald was Secretary of State he began the
Forest of Fame by purchasing a field which had once been a beautiful
forest and planting therein trees from George Washington’s Mount
Vernon estate. The first trees were planted on Arbor Day, 1916.
TREES ASSOCIATED WITH THE BUILDING OF THE NATION
If a contest were to be held in the naming of the three best-known
trees associated with the early history of our country, it is likely that
the winners would be as follows:
The Penn Treaty Elm, at Shackamaxon, Pa., which is now in the
Kensington section of Philadelphia, memorable as the place where
William Penn concluded his famous treaty with the Indians in 1682.
FAMOUS TREES MW.
The elm was nearly 300 years old when felled by a storm in 1810. It
is perpetuated to the fourth generation, there being seven of its
descendants growing in one place, the campus of Haverford College,
Haverford, Montgomery Co., Pa.
The Charter Oak, einetond. Conn., which stood in front of Gov-
erhor Wyllys’ mansion, built in 1688. The charter of the Connecti-
cut Colony, granted by King Charles II in 1662, is supposed to have
been hidden in the oak by a patriot when Sir Edmund Andros de-
manded its surrender in 1687, at the command of King James II.
The charter served Connecticut as a constitution from 1662 to 1816
and conveyed to the colony all the land “from the said Narragansett
Bay on the east to the South Sea on the west.” The tree blew down
in a light gale on August 21, 1856. The hole which concealed the
charter had been enlarged enough to hold 25 men. Pieces of the
wood were made into gavels, picture frames, and even chairs, one of
which stands in the senate chamber of the State capitol.
A seedling of the Charter Oak stands in the Israel Putnam
Memorial Camp Ground, Redding, Conn. A marker near it reads:
Charter Oak. “A chip off the old block.” This tree sprang from an acorn
of the famous Charter Oak of Hartford in which the charter of Connecticut
was hidden when Sir Edmund Andros, the royal governor, threatened the
liberties of the people.
There is another descendant of the Charter Oak, in Bushnell Park,
Hartford, and numerous other descendents may be found in Con-
necticut. One was planted near the Lincoln Memorial, Washington,
D. C., by a president of the Kiwanis International.
The Cambridge Elm, under whose branches General Washington
took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. One
writer says of it:
This tree, probably the most famous of American elms, was undoubtedly
of the original forest growth, and was in its maximum glory when the American
Revolutionary leaders met under its branches.
October 27, 1923 (by coincidence the birthday anniversary of
Theodore Roosevelt), witnessed the fall of this great American tree,
estimated to be 204 years old at the time. Many of its descendants
have been planted throughout the country to perpetuate its fame.
(See Washington Elm Grandchild, and other descendants of Wash-
ington (Cambridge) Elm, Trees associated with notable people,
pp. 2 and 3.)
In addition to these well-known tree veterans, which have gone
their way but whose descendants perpetuate the name, there are
others in the same class that should be better known than they are.
Among these are the following:
ARKANSAS
The Arkansas Council Oak, at Dardanella, under which an im-
portant treaty between the Indians and the whites was hegotiated,
relative to the adjustment of territorial boundaries (fig. 10),
Liberty Tree, a memorial maple planted at Arkadelphia, by the
Daughters of the American Revolution, in soil brought from many
parts of the world.
165233 °—39
»
18 MISC: PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
FIGURE 10.—THE ARKANSAS COUNCIL OAK. AT DARDANELLA, ARK.
CALIFORNIA
Fremont Oak, near Alameda, under which Captaim Fremont
camped with 62 men, including 5 Delaware Indians and_ the
redoubtable Kit Carson.
Hangman’s Tree, in the old nuining town, Second Garrote, near
Groveland, Tuolumne County, said to owe its name to its misshapen
ugliness. Groveland was first called First Garrote because a man
was garroted there.
The Junipero or Vizcanio-Serra Oak, which stood near the gateway
of the Presidio of Monterey. Under it the ceremony of taking pos-
session of California for Spain was enacted. The tree was named
for Padre Junipero Serra, leader of the Franciscans who established
FAMOUS TREES 19
and maintained the chain of missions along the Pacific coast, who
performed the ceremony of transferring C alifornia. The tree died in
1905, but the trunk is preserved in the rear of the mission church of
San Carlos de Monterey.
Kit Carson Juniper. (See Trees associated with other famous
people, p. 11.)
The Sailor’s Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), at the corner of Milpas
and Quinientos Streets, Santa Barbara, was, according to tradition,
used as early as 1800 by sailing masters to sight their anchor age as
they came into port. It has been preserved through the efforts of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Tr eaty of Capitulation Oak, at Verdugo, is a landmark of the
old Spanish days. Under or near it was sioned the treaty of capitu-
lation between the Americans and Spanish ¢ on January 13, 1847.
CGN NECTICUT
1812 Elms, Litchfield. These trees were planted by soldiers sta-
tioned at the former Cables place during the War of 1812. They are
found on the continuation of West Street.
Oliver Ellsworth Elms, Windsor. It was a custom during the
period just after the American Revolution to plant 13 trees to com-
memorate the original colonies. Oliver Ellsworth, one of the fram-
ers of the Constitution and member from Connecticut of the first
United States Congress, planted 13 elms at his home in Windsor, of
which only 2 remain. The Ellsworth homestead, buiit about 1740
on land bought by the Ellsworths in 1665, remained in the possession
of the family until 1903, when the descendants of Oliver Ellsworth
presented the property to the Connecticut Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution. The house was named Elmwood from the elms
which Oliver Ellsworth planted and named for the original colonies.
Revolutionary Elm, Redding, near the center of Fairfield County.
Near this elm stood the home of Widow Sanfor d, where Continental
officers banqueted in 1779.
The Sentinel Elm, Sharon, near western border of Litchfield
County. The Sentinel Elm is so called because it stands near the old
stone house in Gay Street, which, tradition has it, was used as a hid-
ing place for arms and ammunition during the American Revolution.
Signpost Elm, Litchfield. This elm was used as the town signpost
for many years after the settlement of Litchfield in 1720.
South Windsor Elms, tradition has it, were planted by British
soldiers who were interned there dur ing the Revolution.
Whipping-Post Elm, Litenfield. This tr ee, standing at the corner
of North and West Streets, near the county jail, was used as a whip-
ping post as late as 1815. When official whippings took place, the
tree was small enough so that the culprit’s arms stretched around it
and his hands were tied together. It now has a circumference of 11
feet 9 inches at breast height.
Woodstock Elms, about the Revolutionary Smith Tavern, where the
last slaves kept in Woodstock died.
Bolleswood Hemlocks, New London. Bolleswood was deeded to
Thomas Bolles of New London by Owaneco, Sachem of the Mohegan
Indians, in 1693. A short time ago the estate was given to Connecti-
cut College as a part of its arboretum. It has remained practically
20 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
untouched since the days when the Indians held council there, and it
contains a grove of ancient hemlocks, some of which are 450 years old.
Mulberry tree, Guilford. In 1760 half an ounce of mulberry seed was
sent to each parish in the colony to encourage the raising of silk worms.
A number of these trees in Guilford gave Mulberry Point its name.
The Connecticut Constitutional Oaks were presented by the late
Senator Joseph R. Hawley, of Hartford, to each delegate of the
Constitutional Convention of Connecticut in 1902. He requested
them to plant these trees in their respective towns as a reminder of
the purposes of the convention and of the friendships made during
the session. The State hbrarian made inquiries in 1927 regarding
the fate of the 168 trees that were planted and received 105° replies
indicating 69 living, 14 dead, and 22 unrecorded. The trees are not,
as many suppose, seedlings of the Charter Oak. They are all red
oaks, while the Charter Oak was a fine specimen of white oak.
1812 White Oak, East Glastonbury. According to tradition, this
white oak on the New London turnpike was used as a target by
American soldiers in 1812 when they marched to New London. Also,
under it the evangelist Whitfield preached.
White Oak, Gaylordsville. (See Trees associated with notable
people, p. 3.) 7
Great Oak, Double Beach, Branford. This huge old tree was a
landmark and council tree at the time of the settlement of Bran-
ford, in 1640.
Oldest Inhabitant, Fairfield. An oak standing on Greenfield Hill,
above the Pequot swamp, has this title. It sheltered first the red
men and then the white settlers. In 1778 a band of Redcoats en-
camped under this oak and made their plans to destroy the village.
Tn 1790 the ministers of the established religion in C onnecticut met
with Timothy Dwight in this place.
Primeval Oak, Litchfield. This tree is said to be a primeval oak;
under it the last bear roaming at large in Litchfield was killed.
Revolutionary Oak, Litchfield. This oak was planted in East Park
by the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R., in memory ot
Litchfield’s Revolutionary soldiers.
Westport Oak, Fairfield County. This oak stands at the corner
of Compo Road and Gorham Avenue on the route taken by the
British on their march to Danbury. This march took place bet ween
April 25 and 28, 1777, when General Tryon raided many places in
and near Danbury.
Hale Pear Tree, South Coventry. This tree, which is still bearing
fruit, was planted about 1750 by Richard Hale, father of Nathan
Hale, the American spy who was hanged by the British on Septem-
ber 22, 1776.
Connecticut Sycamore, Litchfield. This tree stands in front of the
Catholic Church and is the last of 13 sycamores planted by Oliver
Wolcott and named for the original colonies. This is the one named
for Connecticut. Oliver Wolcott was a signer of the Declaration of
page pen cence and a Governor of Connecticut.
1812 Sycamore, Fairfield. In 1915 a peace feast was held in Fair-
field, and an ox was barbecued under this tree. This sycamore is
still standing and is in a flourishing condition.
Re volutionary Sycamore, Danbury. This sycamore was standing
at the time of the settlement of Danbury in’1685 and marked the
FAMOUS TREES 91
west boundary of the town on Wooster Street. It was on the line of
retreat of the British to Ridgefield after they had burned Danbury.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Signal Station Cherry Tree, in center of Fort Stevens Park on
Georgia Avenue, Washington. Near this tree President Lincoln
watched the battle of Fort Stevens, when the Confederates under
Gen. Jubal A. Early threatened the city of Washington in June 1864.
Beneath this tree are many white markers of the graves of soldiers
who fell there.
Treaty Oak in the old Dean estate on Temple Heights, at the inter-
section of Florida and Connecticut Avenues, Washington, D. C. (fig.
11). Under this tree Chief Mannacasset, of the Anacostan Indian
F—321125
FIGURE 11.—THE TREATY OAK, TEMPLE HEIGHTS. AT FLORIDA AND CONNECTICUT
AVENUES, WASHINGTON, D. C.
22, MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DERE. OF AGRICULZURE
Tribe, had his wigwam and negotiated many treaties with other
tribes and with the “white men.
Tradition has it that among the many captives taken by Mannacas-
set were a young mother and her daughter. The chief spared their
lives but sent forth a decree that under penalty of death the woman
must not wander beyond the shade of the oak which overspread the
hut in which she lived.
Shortly after the death of Mannacasset the treaty for the purchase
from the Indians of the site, which is now within the National Capi-
tal, was signed beneath the branches of this majestic oak. Several
homes were offered the captive, but she preferred to remain beneath
the shelter of the sedy oak. In appreciation of her sufferings, a
tract of ground 1714 acres in extent was assigned to her as “ “The
Widow’s Mite,” and to this day, this property (ineluding also several
blocks adjacent) traces its deeds to the “Widow’s Mite.”
Lincoln Oak. A white oak, just off the Bladensburg Road and
inside the District line at Fort Lincoln, marks the site of the Battle
of Bladensburg in 1814, where troops from the city of Washington
awaited the British. Abraham Lincoln when President, visited the
fortifications and drank from the spring beneath the tree. Ten feet
away from the tree is the springhouse, and a little more than 25 feet
trom its door begin the breastworks of Fort Lincoln. This tree has
five or six main limbs, one so large it appears as if the trunk itself
had decided to change its course. From these main limbs, 20 lesser
branches grow and spread (fig. 12).
Glebe Oak, Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D. C. (See Trees
associated with religion, p. 51, also fig. 25.)
FLORIDA
De Soto Oak, in the grounds of the Tampa Bay Hotel. De Soto,
who became governor of Florida in 1539, is said to have been very
fond of this oak, and in its shade he is beheved to have made a treaty
with the Indians. More than 350 years later, during the Spanish-
American War, Gen. Nelson A. Miles made his headquarters beneath
the branches of this venerable tree.
Santa Rosa Live Oak Grove, 30,000 acres on and near Pensacola
Bay, set aside as a forest reserve by the United States Navy Depart-
ment in 1827 for the supply of ship timbers, under an act authorizing
“proper measures to preserve the live oak timber growing on the
lands of the United States,” etc. A small part of the ‘original “forest
reserve” is still owned by the United States Government as a naval
reservation.
GEORGIA
Great live oaks on St. Catherine’s Island, coast of Georgia, first
national naval forest, purchased by the Government in 1799. The
timber in Old Ivronsides was largely from St. Catherine’s.
Treaty Poplar of Indian Springs, Butts County, a monument to
two famous treaties made in the immediate neighborhood between
the United States and the Indians.
FAMOUS TRIES 23
F-321124
FIGURE 12.—LINCOLN OAK, WASHINGTON, D. C.
IDAHO
Mullan Tree (western white pine) in the Coeur d’Alene National
Forest, bears the inscription, “MR July 4, 1861,” a marker for the
military road to the building of which Captain Mullan was assigned.
From the date, the canyon which the road followed received its
name, “Fourth of July Canyon.” It is known to all who travel
the Yellowstone Trail (fig. 13).
ILLINOIS
Indian trail trees.
Back and forth across the vast extent of the United States, there once existed
a great network of Indian trails. Some of these were important routes of
travel, linking trade centers of the various tribes. Others were hunting trails,
94 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U.
S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
FIGURE 13.—THE MULLAN TREE (WESTERN WHITE PINE), ON THE COEUR D’ALENE
NATIONAL FOREST, IDAHO.
fresh-water trails, or trails of raiding and warring parties. As time moved
on, the tread of the soft moccasined feet gave way to the rumble of wagon
wheels, and these in turn to the gleaming rails and concrete roads of modern
streamlined train and motor traffic.
3irch-bark canoes no longer line the banks of the Mississippi. The Indian
campfire has given way to the smokestack. Where once the red man pitched
his wigwam, there rise tall apartment houses of steel and stone. The warwhoop
of the aborigine has been replaced by the auto siren and the shrill whistle of
the lightning express train. But as the stone age was transformed into the
machine age, a few remnants of the past remained standing in the shape of
old Indian trail trees dutifully pointing out the direction of former routes now
followed by the super-highways of the white man.
Indian trail trees are still growing throughout the Mississippi Valley region
and in the eastern and southern United States. ‘They are most common,
however, in Cook and Lake Counties, Ill., north of Chicago (49, 50) (Fig. 14).
ae
FAMOUS TREES 25
F—-336323
FIGURE 14.—A, INDIAN TRAIL TREE MONUMENT PLACED BY THE DAUGHTERS OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, AT EVANSTON, ILL., INSCRIBED: ““‘THIS RED OAK
WAS A POTTAWATOMIE TRAIL TREE WHICH GREW ON GREEN BAY TRAIL IMME-
DIATELY WEST OF CALVARY STATION WHERE IT POINTED TO A LARGE INDIAN
VILLAGE LOCATED ON AND EAST OF THE SITE OF BOWMANVILLE.’’ B, THIS TRAIL
TREE HAS TAKEN ROOT AT A POINT OF SECONDARY CONTACT WITH THE GROUND
AND HAS CONTINUED GROWING WITH TWO SETS OF ROOTS. IT IS A WHITE OAK
AT HIGHLAND PARK, ILL. (COURTESY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION.)
26 MISG. PUBLIGATION 295, Us-S: DEPT.-OF AGRICULTURE
INDIANA
Miami Apple Tree, near the city of Fort Wayne, at the junction
of St. Marys and St. Josephs Rivers, marks the site of the most noted
village of the Miami Tribe of Indians.
Constitutional Elm, Corydon, beneath which on June 10, 1816,
members of the constitutional convention met to deliberate upon the
articles of the organic law to be adopted for the government of the
new State of Indiana. It is protected by the citizens of Corydon as
one of Indiana’s famous historical landmarks.
S—1207-C
FIGURE 15.—COUNCIL OAK, AT SIOUX CITY, IOWA. (COURTESY OF THE EXTENSION
SERVICE.)
IOWA
Council Oak (great bur oak) at Sioux City, believed to have been
150 years old when Lewis and Clark saw it on their way to the
Pacific coast and there held council with the Indians (fig. 15),
Plow Oak, Exira, the tree that grew around a plow left leaning
against the tree by a homesteader who went to the Civil War and
never returned.
Peace Tree—a sycamore—initial tree of an aboretum dedicated
to the memory of the early pioneers, by its planter, W. H. H. Barker,
of Harvey. ,
FAMOUS TREES D7.
KANSAS
Cottonwood in capitol grounds, Topeka. Mustering place for
the Twentieth Regiment of Kansas Volunteers which made such a
fine record in the Philippines.
Lone Cottonwood, a well-known landmark 6 miles southwest of
Meade. Scene of massacre of United States surveyors under Captain
Short, by Cheyenne Indians under Chief Medicine Water, August
24, 1874.
Delaware and Wyandotte Maple, at Olathe, under which these
Indian tribes made a treaty of peace. (See Trees that have had
special protection, p. 56.) |
Council Oak, at Council Grove, marks the place of the treaty signed
August 10, 1825, between the United States commissioners and the
Indians for unmolested use of the Santa Fe Trail across the Great
Plains.
Post Office Oak, facing the old Santa Fe Trail at Council Grove.
A cache of stone at the base of this tree served as a post office for
hunters, trappers, scouts, and overland travelers until 1847.
KENTUCKY
Famous elm at Boonesborough. Under this elm delegates gathered
in May 1775, in response to a message sent out to the scattered settlers
regarding the desirability of establishing some form of local gov-
ernment and of devising measures to protect the handful of people
living west of the Alleghenies and south of the Ohio. The fort
was not yet completed so the meeting was held under this giant elm,
and here the articles were agreed to for a local government. Under
this elm, the first agreement as to the purchase of land in Kentucky
was ratified by the House of Delegates on May 27. On May 28 the
first recorded church service in the locality was held there, attended
by the members of the House of Delegates and perhaps a number
of other persons from nearby localities. This must have been an
impressive service because all were armed against possible Indian
attack.
Naturalization Tree, at Camp Zachary Taylor, under whose
branches thousands of aliens took the oath of allegiance upon being
mustered into the ranks of the United States Army during the World
War.
LOUISIANA
LaFitte Live Oak, Jefferson Parish. Named for LaFitte, the bue-
caneer, with whom it was associated (fig. 16).
De la Ronde Oaks, sometimes called “Pakenham Oaks,” forming a
lovely avenue at Chalmette, some 4 miles below the city of New Or-
leans, are associated with the Battle of New Orleans. The heaviest
fighting occurred on parts of the Chalmette plantation. There are
two rows—37 on one side, 38 on the other—and 1 tree out of line, a
total of 76 trees. The rows are 100 feet apart, with a space 40 feet
wide between the trees, for a total length of 1,800 feet. Eight of the
trees were measured, the first two being each nearly 20 feet in circum-
ference.
G) PUBLICATION 295, U.S. DER OF AGRICUE MUR
FIGURE 16.—LAFITTE LIVE OAK, JEFFERSON PARISH, LA.
FAMOUS TREES 29
MAINE
King’s Pine. A magnificent white pine near Hiram, Oxford
County, dates back to the Royal Charter of 1690 granted by William
and Mary to the Province of Massachusetts Bay, wherein were re-
served to their Majesties all white pine trees having a diameter of 2
feet or more 1 foot above the ground, not on priv ately owned prem-
ises. Similar reservations were later made by George I, Queen Anne,
and George II. All such trees, the cutting of which was forbidden
without a “royal license, were marked with the King’s Broad Arrow.
The object of this royal protection was to provide material for masts
and spars for the British Navy.
MARYLAND
Old Mulberry at Saint Marys City under whose branches, well-
authenticated tradition tells us, Calvert made a treaty with the
Yaocomicos. The first General Assembly of Maryland convened at
Saint Marys City on February 26, 1635, under the branches of this
iree. The first mass is believed to have been celebrated here by the
Catholics of this little community. This tree fell in 1876, but a hand-
some monument marks the spot where it stood.
Royal Oak, or Tree of the Lighted Lanterns, in the little town of
Royal Oak, west of Easton. During the War of 1812 a British ship
came to anchor at night opposite the town of St. Michaels, Talbot
County, a few miles from this veteran oak, and opened fire. The in-
habitants, who were unprotected, by hanging lighted lanterns in the
tops of the high trees, deceived the enemy into mistaking these for
the lights of the town, with the result that the shots passed harm-
lessly “overhead.
Annapohs Tuliptree—Liberty Tree—Treaty Tree, a giant tulip-
tree on the campus of historic St. John’s College, at Annapolis. It
served as the canopy under which the colonists and Indians made a
treaty of peace, probably the treaty agreed upon with the Susque-
hannocks in 1652. Here, at the beginning of the Revolution, the
patriots of Annapolis assembled, and here also the people gathered to
celebrate peace. W ashington visited it in 1791 and Lafayette in
1824 (10, v. 26, pp. 472-475, 22; 104).
MASSACHUSETTS
Old Liberty Elm, in Boston, planted by a schoolmaster long before
the Revolution and dedicated by him to the independence of the Colo-
nies, was a favorite meeting place of the patriots. When at last it
fell, the bells of all the churches of the city were tolled. An imperish-
able monument marks the spot.
Elm by the Little Brown House, Deerfield, past which the Indians
usually led their captives to a ford in the river and thence to the
Mohawk Trail.
Monroe Tavern Elm, Lexington, directly in front of the Old Mon-
roe Tavern, where, on the day ‘of the Battle of Lexington, horses were
tied to iron spikes. One of these spikes, over which the bark has
not yet closed, may still be seen about 114 inches below the surface of
the tree trunk.
30 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Beaman Oak, Lancaster, marks the place where Gamaliel Beaman,
an early settler, built his house in 1659 (83, pp. 124-125; 1/05, p. 78).
Red Oak, not far from the town square in Grafton, bears on a cop-
per tablet, the following inscription: “Under this tree before the Old
Tavern, patriots of the community gathered to pledge their services
in the cause of American Independence.”
Endicott Pear, Danvers. John Endicott, the earlest pioneer of
the Massachusetts settlement under patent, planted this pear tree
about 16382.
Abolition Grove, a stand of white pine at Abington, held to be the
place where the War between the States began, because in its shade
speeches in the cause of abolition were delivered.
Charlemont Buttonwood (Platanus occidentalis li.) Charlemont,
not far from where the first pioneer settler of the town perished at
the hands of Indians.
Deerfield Buttonwood (Platanus occidentalis Li.) near which “in
the Stebbins House, seven men, besides women and children, held at
bay one hundred and forty Indians under a French officer of the line,
for three hours.” (According to an inscription on a marker.)
MICHIGAN
Treaty Basswood of Grosse Ile, under whose branches, on July 6,
1776, a treaty was signed, conveying the island to two merchants of
Detroit, who purchased it for a little money, some blankets, and some
tobacco. Tecumseh, “the Torch of the Northwest”, was one of the
chiefs who signed the document.
Republican Party Oaks, at Jackson. According to a History of
the United States from the Compromise of 1850 (vol. 2, p. 48), by
James Ford Rhodes:
“In response to a call signed by several thousand leading citizens of Michigan,
for a State mass meeting of all opposed to slavery extension, a large body of
earnest, intelligent, and moral men came together at Jackson, Mich., on the 6th
day of July (1854). The largest hall was not sufficient to accommodate the
people, and, the day being bright, the convention was held in a stately grove
in the outskirts of the village.” The story goes on to tell that among other
momentous recommendations and resolutions, the members of this convention
decided to be known as “Republicans.”
Royal Oak (a white oak), on what was the Indian trail leading
from Detroit to the village of Pontiac. It is a tradition that beneath
this oak Chief Pontiac and representatives of another tribe had an
unfriendly meeting. This oak has figured also as a boundary tree.
Twin Oaks, on the western end of Juniper Hill in Walter J. Hayes
State Park near Jackson, were probably Indian trail markers. They
can be seen for some miles to the west and east and south, and from
beneath their shade one sees much of the surrounding country.
MINNESOTA
Beech of Great Cloud Island, called by the Indians “medicine
wood,” signifying “simply miraculous or wonderful tree.” Men-
tioned in a journal of the Leavenworth expedition of 1819 to estab-
lish Fort Snelling. This is the only known beech tree within the
borders of Minnesota.
FAMOUS TREES all
MISSISSIPPI
Crawford Oak at Biloxi is famous as a tree under which Indians
roasted their oysters. Tradition also says that Jean Lafitte and his
band of pirates buried their treasures at its roots.
Live Oaks at Beauvoir. Beauvoir is now a home for old soldiers,
who enjoy their shade and see that the trees are well preserved.
Battle-Scarred Oak of Harrisburg. In its trunk a cannon ball
was embedded during the historic Battle of Harrisburg near Tupelo.
July 14, 1864. Confederate dead lie buried beneath its onarled
branches.
Two post oaks at Brices’ Cross Road. In Lee County, 5 miles
west of Baldwyn, are two post oaks famous because a Federal
battery was stationed between them, on June 10, 1864, when the
Union forces under General Sturgis were defeated by the Con-
federates under General Forrester.
Confederate Tree. An old red oak which stands on North Lamar
Street in Oxford, is claimed to be one of the largest, oldest, and most
historic trees in the South. Its history dates back to 1842. As
a small tree it served as a starting point from the town of Oxford
after the site had been purchased from the Indians. During the
War between the States, it is said, two of General Forrester’s
spies hid in this tree and observed the Union Army march into the
town. General Grant is said to have made his headquarters beneath
its branches when the Union Army invaded the town.
MISSOURI
Daniel Boone’s “Judgment Tree,” an elm in the Femme Osage dis-
trict, near which Daniel Boone held court while commandant of the
district.
MONTANA
Twin Pines, Beaverhead National Forest, where Indian sharp-
shooters are said to have been located during a battle between Nez-
perce Indians, under Chief Joseph, and soldiers and citizens under
General Gibbon, August 9, 1877 (fig. 17).
NEBRASKA
Lone Tree (cottonwood) on the north bank of the Platte River
about 3 miles southwest of the site of Central City. Beneath its
spreading shade, Indian chiefs are said to have held their councils.
Lone Tree iaricli: established in the neighborhood in 1858, was named
in honor of the old tree, and so were the post office and railroad sta-
tion 3 miles distant. In 1865 the big cottonwood was felled by a
violent storm. In 1911 a stone monument in the form of a cotton-
wood stump was erected on the spot.
NEW JERSEY
Stockton Catalpas, Princeton, a memorial to Richard Stockton,
the well-known signer of the Declaration of Independence, who is
believed to have brought the trees from England in 1762. They
are also called “Independence Trees” because they are in flower over
the Fourth of July.
27 MISC: PUBLICATION 295, U.S DERI OF AGRICUL:
F—203601
FIGURE 17.—TWIN PINES, BEAVERHEAD NATIONAL FOREST, MONT.
NEW YORK
Hessian Beeches, at Bay Ridge, beneath which, tradition has it,
Hessians camped during the Revolution.
Treaty Chestnut Tree (now dead) of Phillipse Manor, near New
York City, which stood in plain sight from the Albany Post Road.
Under its branches, it is believed, was signed the last treaty between
the whites and the Wequadequeek Indians, who lived in that locality.
(See trees associated particularly with writers and literature, p. 49.)
Verplanck Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus (L.) Kock)
directly in front of the historic Verplanck mansion at Fishkill-on-
the-Hudson, occupied for some time during the Revolution by Baron
von Steuben. This mansion was also the scene of the first meeting
of the Society of the Cincinnati.
Caledonia Council Elm, standing on grounds of the Caledonia
High School, once marked the meeting place of the Iroquois Indians
on the main trail between Albany and Niagara Falls. Many pris-
oners of war were executed near this tree.
Council Elm Tree, in the Johnstown cemetery, Johnstown. Under
this tree Governor Tryon, Sir William Johnson (Commissioner of
Indian Affairs), Josey yh Brant, and the Mohawk Indians of Lower
Castle met in soot on July 28, 1772. Important conferences
FAMOUS TREES 33
between the Iroquois and Sir William Johnson were also held under
this tree. These conferences led ue the opening of the Ohio Territory.
Elm of Italy Hollow (71, pp. 44-45; 85, pp. 9-12). Old Indian
council tree, near the border of the towns of Potter and Middlesex.
Standing at the junction of several Indian trails, it furnished an
accessible meeting place for the various tribes.
Fort Stanwix ‘Elm Sapling, in the city of Rome, near which the
Troquois Indians and the United States made the treaty by which
the Indians signed over a vast portion of their lands in the West to
the United States in 1788. This tree is one of the claimants to hav-
ing flown the first American flag—one was flown from it on August
7716.
Markham Elm, on the Markham estate, 2 miles north of Avon.
The Indians of western New York held this tree in great veneration
and made a favorite camping ground of the spot. It also served as
a resting place for early missionaries, scouts, and traders.
Pioneer Elm, Ballston Lake, near which stood the log cabin of
Michael and Patrick McDonald, first white settlers in. Saratoga
County, 1763.
Another “birthplace” of the Republican Party (see Republican
Party Oaks, p. 30) is the claim of an elm at the corner of South
Avenue and West Onondaga Street, Syracuse. There, in the early
sixties, in what was then the garden of Vivus W. Smith, editor and
abolitionist, assembled a noteworthy gathering, consisting of Smith
himself, Horace Greeley, Thurlow ‘Weed, and William H. Seward,
afterward Lincoln’s Secretary of State. These men are said there
to have drawn up and subscribed their names to a set of principles
that governed the beginnings of the party.
Seneca Council Elm, near Kanandesaga (now Geneva). Besides
sheltering the conclaves of the Seneca Indians, this old elm marked
otherwise historic ground. Kanandesaga figured in the French and
Indian Wars and the Revolution. During the Revolution the Seneca
chief was Big Tree.
Council Maple, on the old Hutchinson estate, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga,
under which Indians held their conferences.
Council Oak of Penn Yan, Yates County. Under this tree the
Seneca braves built their council fires and smoked the pipe of peace
while they deliberated on the affairs of the Six Nations.
Red Oak at Lloyds Neck, on the north shore of Long Island, facing
Halesite, where Nathan Hale, hero of the American Revolution, was
finally captured by the British on September 21, 1776, and hanged
the next day. He it was who said that he truly regretted that he
had but one life to give for his country.
Whipping tree at Peekskill. This tree, an oak, is still flourishing
in a field adjoining the grounds of the Van Cortland Manor house,
Washington’s headquarters when he was in Peekskill. Here La-
fayette, “Rochambeau, Von Steuben, and other famous soldiers, were
entertained. Beneath this tree strenuous correction was adminis-
tered to deserters from the American cause in Revolutionary times,
whence its name.
165255 °—39 3
34 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OW AGRICULTURE
F—321108
FIGURE 18.—HENDRICK HUDSON’S TULIPTREE, NEW YORK, N. Y. (COURTESY
AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION.)
FAMOUS TREES 35
Witenagemot Oak, Schagticoke. This oak was planted to mark the
signing of a treaty of peace with the Indians in 1676, by Sir Edmund
Andros, colonial governor of the Province of New York and Indian
commissioner.
War Scythe Tree, balm-of-Gilead (balsam poplar), near Waterloo.
In October 1861 a farmer named Johnson hung his scythe in the
crotch of this tree and went off with a New York regiment to the Civil
War, telling his wife: “Don’t touch the scythe until I come back.”
He never returned, and the tree has grown around the blade, the han-
dle having been removed. Two others now keep the first scythe com-
pany. When the United States entered the World War, two sons of
the present owner of the farm hung their scythes in the tree, one to
enter the Army and the other the Navy.
Hendrick Hudson’s Tuliptree, the Inwoed tuliptree (Liriodendron
tulipifera L.), Inwood Park, northern end of Manhattan Island, at
the mouth of the Harlem River, New York City. Hudson entered
this inlet in 1609 and may have met the Indians here. The tree is
the only living thing on the island which was there during Hudson’s
time (fig. 18). The city’s park department has preserved this an-
cient tree. On the surface of one of the cement fillings is the follow-
Ing inscription in gold letters:
Tuliptree, Liriodendron Tulipifera. Henry Hudson entered this inlet in 1609
and may have met the Indians here who used the place for a camp, as shown
by the quantity of old broken oyster shells around this tree and nearby. (17, v.
33, p. 545: 71, pp. 63-64).
Torture Tree (species not given), 1 mile east of Cuylerville, in Liv-
ingston County. Lt. Thomas Boyd and Set. Michael Parker, of Sulli-
van’s Expedition, 1779, were captured by the Iroquois Indians, most
severely tortured, and eventually killed near this tree, September 11,
1779.
Lombardy Poplar (fig. 19), planted over 200 years ago at Iort
Niagara by the French occupants. It 1s the sole survivor of a group
of these trees planted at the time. This is the only United States
Army post flying three flags—the French, British, and United States.
When the colors are lowered, the French flag comes down first, fol-
lowed by the British, then Old Glory.
NORTH CAROLINA
Cypress of New Bern, at New Bern. This was the council tree
of patriot leaders.
Battleground Oak, also known as Cornwallis Oak and Liberty
Oak, stands but a few hundred yards from where the Battle of Guil-
ford Courthouse was fought in 1781. Tradition has it that during
the battie General Greene tied his horse to this tree.
Revolutionary or New Garden Oak. (See Trees associated with
religion, p. 53.)
Henry Clay Oak (white oak), Wake County. Henry Clay 1s said
to have sat under this oak while writing his memorable letter oppos-
ing the annexation of Texas.
Tory Oak, Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, on which four Tories are
said to have been hanged by the Revolutionists.
Fagle’s Nest Longleaf Pine, Dare County, on the edge of Fort
Raleigh, Roanoke Island. The tree bears the letter C, which, it is
4
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A\GRICULTURI
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29
MISC. PUBLICATION
36
(CN ‘ASNVYO LSVA ‘SOWTIVM “1 °D JO ASALYNOD) ODY SYV3SA 002 NVHL
SJYOW HONAYA SHL AG GSALNV1d dNOYD V AO YOAIAYNS 3410S “A CN ‘VWYVOVIN LYOS LV YV1dOd AGUYVEWOT—'’6l 3YNSI
ceLLve-A
FAMOUS TREES 37
believed, indicates that the colony established here by Sir Walter
Raleigh ‘had moved to the Cr oatans, friendly Indians.
OHIO
Logan Elm, 6 miles south of Circleville, in southern Ohio. It was
under this tree that Lord Dunmore, colonial Governor of Virginia,
made a treaty of peace with Chief Cornstalk of the Shawnees and
Chief Logan of the Mingos 2 years before the Revolution. Chief
Logan declined to be present, but sent a message which is considered
a classic of Indian oratory.
Chief Logaws Message
I appeal to any white man to say if ever he entered Logan’s cabin hungry
and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked and he clothed
him not. During the course of the last iong and bloody war, Logan remained
idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites
that my countrymen pointed as they passed and said: “Logan is the friend of
the white men.” I had even thought to live with you, but for the injuries of
one man, Colonel Cresap, who last spring in cold blood and unprovoked murdered
all the relatives of Logan, not sparing even his women and children.* There
runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This calls
on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted
my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet do not
harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He
will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan?
Not one.
The elm is now owned and cared for by the State of Ohio. Named
for Chief Logan, it is 70 feet high and nearly 22 feet in circum-
ference 6 feet above the ground. It has a crown spread of 148 feet.
In recent years it has been severely damaged by storms. Seeds trom
this tree have been planted by the State forestry department, and
more than 100 seedlings have been transplanted in 88 counties in Ohio
with appropriate ceremonies.
Centennial Oak (white oak), near Lake Punderson, Newberry, was
planted on July 4, 1876, by the Woman’s Suffrage Political Club.
Fort Ball Sycamore, at Tiff. This tree was a sapling growing
within the walls of Fort Ball during the War of 1812. In 1926 the
Dolly Todd Madison Chapter, D. A. R., erected a tablet at the base
of the tree marking it as historic.
OKLAHOMA
Tribal Council Tree, Tulsa, a giant oak near the Arkansas River.
The bronze marker placed on it December 22, 1923, reads: “Tribal
Council Tree—Meeting place of the Creek Indians after their coming
to Indian Territory in 1828” (fig. 20). There is an interesting story,
too long to give here, of the Trail of Tears of the Creek Indians and
the carrying of the council fire (77).
OREGON
Pioneer Walnut, planted at Salem in pioneer days. (See Trees
notable for unusual size or age, p. 92.)
On the Ochoco National forest is the famous “Sheep Shooters’
Tree,” under which the cattlemen met in the range wars of 1904-1905.
3 Tt has been proved that Logan was mistaken about Colonel Cresap’s guilt.
38 MISG. PUBLICATION 295, USS! DEBT. OF AGRICULTURE
F—321196
FIGURE 20.—THE OLD CREEK TRIBAL COUNCIL TREE, TULSA. OKLA. (COURTESY
OF AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION.)
PENNSYLVANIA
Cumberland Elm, 1 mile southwest of Carlisle, is in the very center
of the Cumberland Valley and was a landmark of the early settlers.
Liberty Tree, near Clinton, sometimes called the Tiadaghton Elm
and sometimes the Pine Creek Elm. Under this tree the famous
Tiadaghton Creek Declaration of Independence was being signed at
the same time that the Declaration of Independence was signed in
Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Dilworthtown Oak, about a mile west of Dilworthtown, in Chester
County, is on the Brandywine Battlefield, near Washington’s Head-
quarters, where some of the fiercest fighting in the American Revo-
lution took place. : ;
Kutztown White Oak. It is reported that an ammunition train of
the Continental Army camped under this tree about the time of the
Battle of Germantown.
FAMOUS TREES 39
Fort Hunter Buttonwood (P/latanus occidentalis L.), a huge tree
of its kind standing by the edge of Fishing Creek in the Fort Hunter
tract of land, is of ‘oreat age and is among y the historic trees of Peun-
sylvania (68). Fort Hunter, 6 miles north of the State capital, on
the east side of the Susquehanna, was one of a chain of forts between
the Susquehanna and the Delaware Rivers. Situated on a bluff jut-
ting out into the stream “where the Blue Hills cross the Susquehanna,”
this fort commanded an extensive view up and down that river and
overlooked as well the tortuous course and outlet of Fishing Creek.
The banks of this stream, judging by the relics found there, were a
favorite camping site of ne marauding red men. Hunter’s Fort
served as a refuge for the pioneers in those unsettled times, and many
a thrilling tale is told of alarm and of escape (fig. 21)
F—323C17
FIGURE 21.—FORT HUNTER BUTTONWOOD BY THE EDGE OF FISHING CREEK, FORT
HUNTER TRACT, 6 MILES NORTH OF HARRISBURG, PA. (COURTESY OF MRS.
MARGARET WISTER MEIGS.)
40) MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
SOUTH CAROLINA
Historic Red Oak, at Chesterfield. The first flag ever thrown to the
breeze in the South on which was printed “Immediate separate State
action” was girded to this tree.
Spy Oak, at Hillcrest, High Hills of the Santee, near Stateburg,
is so called because two Tory spies were hanged therefrom by
General Sumter’s men during the Revolution (72).
SOUTH DAKOTA
Struck-by-the-Ree’s Tree, at Yankton (named for the Sioux chief
who bore this name). Here the Yanktown tribe of the Sioux Indians
met with Lewis and Clark, and together they held “a grand council,
powwow, and carousal.” The name comes from a savage encounter
between the Sioux and the Ree Indians. Struck-by-the-Ree was
friendly to the whites, partly because he was proud of having been
wrapped in the American flag by Captain Lewis, who, in doing so,
prophesied that the boy would become a chief of the tribe.
TENNESSEE
Daniel Boone’s “Bar Tree,” a beech in Washington County, in the
extreme northeastern portion of the State was a living record in the
life of probably the first white man to venture into the heavy forests
of the middle Appalachians (67). This tree bore the inscription:
“D. Boon cilled A BAR On Tree in ThE Y Ear 1760” (fig. 22). This
tree is no longer living.
Pemberton Oak, on the Cherokee National Forest, bears a tablet
placed there by the Sycamore Shoals Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, telling that Col. John Pemberton here
mustered troops for the Battle of Kings Mountain. Kings Moun-
tain is a ridge in Gaston County, N. C., and York County, S. C.
About 144 miles south of the boundary line between the two States,
the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought on October 7, 1780, the
Americans being victorious. This victory largely contributed to the
success of General Greene’s campaign against Lord Cornwallis.
TEXAS
Treaty Oak, in Austin, near the west bank of the Colorado River,
a mammoth live oak estimated to be over 500 years old. The Co-
manche and Tejas Indians often met for feats of skill and endurance
and for religious rites beneath this tree. They called it “The Father
of the Forest,” and regarded it with superstitious reverence. Tra-
dition has it that Stephen F. Austin signed the first boundary line
treaty between the settlers and the Indians under this tree, the line
being so placed that the tree stood within the settlers’ lands.
Masonic Charter Oak, near Brazoria, Tex., under whose sturdy
branches Texas declared her independence. Here the second pro-
visional government of Texas was organized on March 2, 1836.
VIRGINIA
Hessian apple trees, 3 miles north of Winchester. During the Rev-
olution, Hessian soldiers planted an orchard here. Sixteen of these
FAMOU
S TREES A]
‘D.Boon cilled A BAR On
in ThE YEar 1760
F—3251178
FIGURE 22.—DANIEL BOONE’S *‘BAR TREE,’’ WASHINGTON COUNTY, TENN.
49 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
trees of the Fameuse variety have survived, and most of them are
bearing regularly.
Cedars of Lebanon, Arlington Cemetery. (See Trees associated
with educators or educational institutions, p. 46.)
Chippoke Oak, Chippoke plantation, Surry County, takes its
name from the Indian chief, Chippoke, who was a friend of the
early settlers.
White Oaks in Abbs Valley, Tazewell County, at the grave of
James Moore, who was one of the first persons killed in the Indian
massacre of 1786.
Sheep-shearing Oak, one of the most famous trees in Arlington
National Cemetery. It was the scene of the shearing of a valuable
flock of imported Merino sheep owned by George W ashington Parke
Custis. This oak is estimated to be 300 years old.
Tarleton’s Oak, Charlottesville. Tradition has it that under this
oak the British cavalryman, Banastre Tarleton, planned his raid on
Charlottesville on June 4, 1781. He attempted to capture Governor
Jefferson and the legislature, but Capt. Jack Jouett, by taking a
short route, arrived in time to warn the patriots of their danger.
Tory Oaks, white oaks in the Black Lick Valley in western Wy the
County. Gen. William Campbell’s men surrounded a band. of
plundering Tories and hung them to these two nearby oaks.
Original Lynching Tree ‘(walnut ) on plantation near Alta Vista.
According to the inscription on a marker near this giant black
walnut, under it—
Colonel Charles Lynch, William Preston, Robert Adams, Jr., James Calloway,
and others held an informal court for the trial of Tories and criminals, 1780.
From this rude justice, the term “lynch law” was evolved.
The Virginia Conservation and Development Commission erected
the marker in 1929.
WASHINGTON
A western red cedar bearing the inscription, “Washington Terri-
torial Volunteers camped here June 2, 1856,” was recently discovered
in the upper Cedar River watershed, Snoqualmie National Forest.
It is recorded that in 1856 Regular Army troops were camped at
Snoqualmie Falls in order to ‘watch Snoqualmie Pass for Indian
raiding parties from east of the mountains. Without question, the
Territorial Volunteers were watching Yakima Pass for the same
reason at the time the inscription was made.
WEST VIRGINIA
Corner Oaks, at the foot of Marlin’s Mountain at Marlinton (70,
pp. 412-417), marked: “These oaks are said to be the oldest corner
trees in ne Mississippi Valley.” They also bear the name and date:
“General Andrew Lewis, 1751.”
Blennerhasset Sycamore, on what is known as Blennerhasset Island
in the Ohio River about 2 miles below Parkersburg, with a large hole
in the trunk, in which Blennerhasset took refuge when pursued for
his connection with the Burr conspiracy to separate the Western
States from the rest of the United States (1807).
FAMOUS TREES 43
Old Pringle Sycamore, which stands at the mouth of Turkey Run
on the Buckhannon River, a few miles below the little town of
Buckhannon in what is now Upshur County, is the “grandchild” of
a tree which served as a home for the first white settlers in the trans-
Allegheny region in what is now West Virginia. As early as 1764
Samuel and John Pringle, two brothers, penetrated the unbroken
wilderness and lived for 3 years in the hollow of the great old tree.
The cavity measured 12 feet across, so they were not crowded. The
stump stood until 1850, and the second Pringle tree, which sprang
from the roots of the first, was carried away by a flood in 1880.
The present tree is a sprout from the roots of the second, and in its
cavity three persons could easily find shelter (77, p. 476).
WISCONSIN
Fort Howard Elm occupies the site of the first permanent fortifica-
tion in Wisconsin and for 200 years has been associated with the
history of the region owned in turn by France, Great Britain, and
the United States.
TREES ASSOCIATED DIRECTLY WITH EDUCATORS OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
ALABAMA
Gorgas Oak, campus of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
This is a pin oak named for Gen. William Crawford Gorgas, Ameri-
can Army surgeon, born at Mobile, Ala., under whose sanitary
measures yellow fever has been eradicated from tropical America.
CALIFORNIA
Hilgard Chestnut, College of Agriculture, University of California,
Berkeley. Named for E. W. Hilgard, first dean of the college and
one of the pioneers of agricultural education in the United States.
The Hilgard Chestnut is of a European species (Castanea sativa).
Henry S. Graves Redwood Grove, named in honor of Henry Solon
Graves, forester, educator, and administrator. He succeeded Gifford
Pinchot as chief forester of the United States Department of Agri-
culture. This grove is 10 miles south of Crescent City.
CONNECTICUT
Calhoun Elm, Litchfield. (See Trees intimately associated with
other famous people, p. 11.)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Lombardy Poplar, on Massachusetts Avenue near Eighteenth
Street, NW., memorial to Quentin Roosevelt, youngest son of Theo-
dore Roosevelt, killed during the World War. This tree was planted
in his memory by the students of the Force School on Massachusetts
Avenue between Seventeenth and Eighteenth Streets, NW., which
he attended.
KANSAS
Cypress, “The Tree That Would Not Die,” planted by Father
Boniface, Kansas pioneer, monk, professor, and naturalist, on the
slope of a ravine on the campus of St. Benedict’s College, at Atchison.
44 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
During campus-improvement work, this dauntless tree has_ lived
through the filling-in of the ravine, although its trunk is buried
for 30 feet or more.
Locust in Topeka, associated with the Civil War history of the
State, is marked by a concrete block which is inscribed: “The oldest
tree in Topeka. The 2-B Grade of 1912. Central Park School.”
LOUISIANA
Century Live Oaks, on the campus of Southwestern Louisiana
Institute, Lafayette, planted on the first day of the twentieth century,
January 1, 1901.
McDonough Oak, City Park of New Orleans, bears name of great
patron of education who left his fortune to Baltimore, Md., and
New Orleans, La., for educational purposes.
MAINE
Thorndike Oak, red oak in center of Bowdoin College Campus,
Brunswick. It bears the name of one of the first eight students
to enter Bowdoin in 1802, who planted the acorn.
MICHIGAN
Filibert Roth Memory Elm, planted by his friends in Palmer
Park, Detroit, in May 1926. Dr. Roth was an outstanding figure in
educational work in fore estry. He was dean of the forestry depart-
ment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for more than 0 years.
Marshall Oak. A huge forest tree on the ground of H. C. Brook,
of Marshall. Under this historic tree two early settlers often met in
the summer of 1834 to discuss their plans for an improved public-
school system. These men were Isaac E. Crary, United States Repre-
sentative in Congress from 1835 to 1840, and John D. Pierce, first
superintendent of public instruction in Michigan, from 1836 to 1841.
Their system, enacted into law in 1836, has given rise to the claim
that the school system of the United States had its inception in the
village of Marshall, which has been called “The cradle of American
public school education” (fig. 23 A and B.)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Old Pine, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, was the center of class-
day exercises and other celebrations during the greater part of the
nineteenth century. It was cut down in 1895, but its stump, 4 feet in
height, has been preserved as a valued relic.
NEW JERSEY
The Stamp-Act Sycamores, planted in front of the residence of the
president of Princeton University in 1765, have always been associated
with the famous Stamp Act of that year.
NEW YORK
Nott Elm, on grounds of historic Union College, at Schenectady,
named in honor of Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College from
FAMOUS TREES 45
F—302989 F—302990
FIGURE 23.—A, THE MARSHALL OAK, MICHIGAN; B, THE MARSHALL. OAK TABLET.
(COURTESY OF HAROLD C. BROOKS, MARSHALL, MICH.)
46 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
1804 to 1866. Many illustrious citizens of the United States have sat
beneath this tree in informal meetings of the senior classes—Senators,
Cabinet. officers, Governors, even President Chester A. Arthur, and
scientists like the agriculturist, Seaman A. Knapp, and Franklin B.
Hough, “father of American forestry.”
NORTH CAROLINA
New Garden Oak (Quaker settlement of New Garden) on the campus
of Guilford College, near Greensboro the first coeducational college
of the South. (See also Trees associated with religion, p. 53.)
Davie Poplar (tuliptree), Orange County, on the campus of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Under this tree the
commissioners tied their horses when selecting a site for the university.
OHIO
McGuftty Elms, on the campus of Ohio University, at Athens,
planted by William McGutffy, president of the institution and author
of McGutty Readers. Fifteen of the forty-eight trees planted were
still standing in 1934 and were about 90 years old.
Oberlin Elm, on a corner of the Oberlin College campus, Oberlin.
In its shade the first building of Oberlin College was erected. This
was the first American college to admit women on an equality with
men.
PENNSYLVANIA
Historic White Oak at King of Prussia, dedicated to Henry Sturgis
Drinker for his services in for estr y by the Pennsylvania Forestry Asso-
elation (75), August 19, 1933, is said to have been standing when the
founder of the Commonwealth, William Penn, was born (1644).
Lehigh University took part in dedication.
VIRGINIA
Cedars of Lebanon, from the historic Lebanon Mountains in Syria,
planted in Arlington Cemetery, a gift to the United States from the
American University of Beirut, Syria, in appreciation of aid extended
by this country through the Near East Relief.
Emancipation Oak, on the grounds of Hampton Institute in Eliza-
beth City County. The first school for “contrabands” was held under
it in pleasant weather.
Abingdon Smoketree, near the main portico of Martha Washington
C ollege, Abingdon. Tradition has it that William Campbell Preston
brought this tree with him from Napoleon’s grave.
V.M. I. Guard Tree (hickory), Lexington. Reported to have been
the only tree standing on the grounds of Virginia Military Institute
when it was founded in 1839. Guard tents were pitched under this
tree In summer.
Wilham and Mary Live Oak, southeast corner of the campus of
Wilham and Mary College, Williamsburg. Styled, “Old Monarch of
Middle Plantation.”
FAMOUS TREES Ai
TREES ASSOCIATED PARTICULARLY WITH WRITERS AND LITERATURE
CALIFORNIA
Jack London’s Oak. A sturdy oak tree planted on the plaza before
the city hall, in his native city, Oakland. The dedicatory resolution
of the city council of Oakland reads:
We confer this mite of honor by dedicating Oakland’s standard-bearing oak
to him who grew with this city, that this sturdy sentinel may stand in memory
and to honor Jack London.
Mark Twain Oak, on Jackass Hull, Tuolumne County, under which
the humorist wrote The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, which
made him famous overnight. This tree was felled in 1929, and only
the stump remains. Sections of the tree are on exhibit in the Mu-
seum of Natural History, New York City, and in the British Museum,
London.
DISTRICT CF COLUMBIA
Six memorial oaks, all red oaks on the new Academy of Science
grounds Twenty- first and C Streets NW. keep alive the memory of
Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Burroughs, John James Audubon,
Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, W alt Whitman.
Shakespeare plot in West Potomac Park, Washington. On April
23, 1935, the anniversary of the birth of the Bard. of Avon, trees
presented by the Governors of various States were planted in a corner
of the rose garden in West Potomac Park, as the nucleus of a Shake-
speare 2 carden. Wives of S Senators and Representatives of the States
contributing officiated in the tree planting. The trees planted include
a tuliptree contributed by Tennessee, an ash by Massachusetts, moun-
tain-ashes by New Hampshire and New York, pines by Michigan and
Virginia, elms by Nebraska, Maine, and Arizona, oaks by South
Carolina and Jlhnois, a cypress by Maryland, cherry trees by Kansas
and California, persimmon trees by Florida and Delaware, a Russian
olive tree by South Dakota, and a magnolia by Louisiana.
Southworth Oak (red only in the park at Thirty- -sixth Street and
Prospect Avenue NW, planted by the League of American Pen
Women in memory of Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth, authoress, who
resided for many years in old Georgetown.
FLORIDA
Mandarin Live Oak, Duval County, on St. Johns River. The
piazza of the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe was built around this
tree. During the Civil War a cannonball was shot into the tree
from a Federal gunboat in the river. The bark has grown around
the ball and has almost entirely covered it.
GEORGIA
Lanier Oak, on the edge of the Marshes of Glynn, at Brunswick.
Under the gracious boughs of this tree, Sidney Lanier, native of
Macon, Ga., and the greatest lyricist of the South, was inspired to
write the Marshes of Gly nn (fig. 24).
AS MISC. FUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULLZURE
F—305 144
FIGURE 24.—THE LANIER OAK, AT BRUNSWICK, GA. (COURTESY OF AMERICAN
AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION.)
LOUISIANA
Evangeline Oak, at St. Martinville, on Bayou Teche, a giant live
oak which marks the spot where the Acadians, driven from Nova
Scotia, landed in St. Martinville in 1758, 2 years after their expulsion
from their former homes. It has been immortalized by Longfellow
in his poem, Evangeline.
Maryland Live Oak, at New Roads, under which James Ryder
Randall wrote the words of Maryland, My Maryland.
MASSACHUSEIrTS
Oliver Wendell Holmes Pine, on old road to Lenox, in a wide sweep
of lawn, a lone and superb pine much loved by Holmes.
Two notable white oaks in front of the Wayside Inn, on the State
Road, in Sudbury, about 20 miles west of Boston, immortalized by
Longfellow in his Tales of a Wayside Inn.
Louisa May Alcott Elms, in front of the Alcott home and the little
grove of pines and spruces just beyond it. Under the shade of the
elms once lived the author of Little Women, and among the whisper-
ing pines Hawthorne walked, thought, and wrote, or conversed with
his friend, Thoreau.
Pratt Elm, or “The Great Elm of Concord,” believed to have been
set out in 1700. Beloved of Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau.
Waverly Oaks, along Beaver Branch, near Waverly Station, 6 or
7 miles from Boston, are remarkably large trees and are famous, not
FAMOUS TREES 49
only for size but also for association with James Russell Lowell and
the writing of his Vision of Sir Launfal (83). (See also Trees
notable for unusual size or age, p. 85.)
Sheffield Elm, which, tradition says, was standing when the town
of Sheffield was settled, in 1725. Oliver Wendell Holmes included
the elm at Sheffield among those of greatest size, beauty, and sym-
metry of form.
The beautiful Whittier Elm, near the poet’s birthplace at Haver-
hill. (See also Trees that have had special protection, pp. 56, 58. )
MICHIGAN
A red oak towers above the old Walker Tavern on the main high-
way between Detroit and Chicago, where the road from Toledo, Ohio,
crosses the Chicago Pike. It ‘spreads its shade over the roof that
cheltered James Fenimore Cooper and other notables of the early
days. Here Cooper is said to have written Oak Openings. The
treetop has been thinned out. Local old-timers tell of the night
that this was done, so that a flag might fly from a high place at the
rally for “Tippecanoe and Ty ler too.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Whittier’s Pine Tree, on the Sturtevant farm, near Sunset Hill.
Center Harbor. Whittier bestowed upon it the name “Wood Giant”
(1886), but it is now called “Whittier’s Pine Tree.”
NEW JERSEY
Haddon Yews, site of the old Haddon Homestead at Haddonfield.
immortalized in Longfellow’s beautiful poem, Elizabeth.
NEW YORK
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FAMOUS TREES 15
The beautiful old elm in front of Elmshade at the head of the
green in Canton, Hartford County (66, p. 25), is nearly the size of
the Wethersfield elm. One owner of Elmshade has stated that the
elm was a good-sized tree when the house was built, in 1784.
Revolutionary Tree (an elm) at Redding, Fairfield County (66,
p. 19), has a circumference of 30 feet 6 inches 1 foot from the ground.
Its branches have a spread of 112 feet. On the site near this elm
stood the house of the Widow Sanford where Continental officers
banqueted in 1779.
Bolleswood, which contains a grove of ancient hemlocks, was
deeded to Thomas Bolles, of New London, by Owaneco, sachem of
the Mohegan Indians, in 1698. It has remained practically un-
touched since the days when the Indians held council there (66, p. 37).
Cogswell Maple (species not given) at New Preston, Litchfield
County, is said to be the largest maple in Comnecticut. It is on
property owned by a lineal descendant of William Cogswell. The
house on this property was once an inn where George Washington
was entertained on one of his trips to Connecticut (66, p. 12).
Giant Oak, at West Ashford, (66, p. 33), was awarded the first
prize offered ‘for the lar gest tree entered in a State tree contest in
1927. It has a circumference of 21 feet at breast height. Its height
is 95 feet, and its horizontal branch spread is 135 feet.
At Easton (66, p. 14), there is a white oak about 300 years old
on the lawn in front of the house built in 1730 by Isaac Bennett.
The circumference of its trunk is 1614 feet, and its branch spread
is 125 feet.
Johnson Oak, at Northford (66, p. 27), stands on property pur-
chased by Nathaniel Johnson in 1714, which remained in the Johnson
family until 1916. The measurements of this tree in 1800 were as
follows: Circumference of trunk, 30 feet; branch spread, east and
west 111 feet, north and south 107 feet.
“Cathedral Pines,” at Cornwall, Litchfield County, had a maxi-
mum height in 1922 of 125 feet. They are known to have been in
the possession of one family for over 200 years. The United States
Geological Survey has said of them that “they are the finest bit of
original forest in the Eastern States and not surpassed in the Lake
States” (66, p. 13).
A sycamore of good old age is the Rev olutionary Sycamore, at
Danbury, Fairfield County. According to the record, this tree was
standing at the time of the settlement of Danbury in 1685 (66, p. 17).
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Twin sassafras trees, on Soldiers’ Home Grounds, are said to be
the oldest living things in the District of Columbia. This was the
opinion of Humboldt, the German naturalist, verified byw. Ww.
Corcoran, whose estate adjoined the Soldiers’ Home (52, p. 69)
(fig. 36).
FLORIDA
A so-called sovereign cypress in the dense swamp between San-
ford and Longwood, is supposed to have been a denizen of this
section before Ponce de Leon sought the Fountain of Youth (459).
There is space enough for a roadway to be cut through the trunk.
76 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U.S: DEPT. OF AGRICULDURI
SS
F—321119
FIGURE 36.—TWIN SASSAFRAS TREES, SOLDIERS’ HOME GROUNDS, WASHINGTON,
D. C., SAID TO BE THE OLDEST LIVING THINGS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Florida Forest Service in a letter of April 18, 1935, to the
Forest Service, says this cypress has a circumference of 54 feet, a
height of 125 feet, and an estimated approximate age of 3,000 years.
A red oak at Chipley with a circumference of about 25 feet 3 feet
from the ground, a height of 60 feet, a spread of 65 feet, at only 20
vears of age, was reported by the American Genetic Association in
September 1915. The description of the red oak at Chipley was
included in the full list of tree contestants in the 1915 contest of the
American Genetic Association sent to the Forest Service by the asso-
clation.
Old Pisa is a giant oak 2144 miles south of Daytona (10, pp. 284-
287). It has a circumference of 35 feet at the base and its branches
extend over almost an acre of ground. It is believed to have been an
old tree when Daytona was the Indian village, “Autumceas.”
GEORGIA
A cork oak (Quercus suber) on the edge of a cottonfield, a half
mile north of Daphne station, west of Cordele (53), is said to be
“undoubtedly the largest specimen of cork oak 1 in the country, prob-
ably brought from Spain by a southern planter.” It has a circum-
ference of. nearly 12 feet at 1 foot from the ground, is 60 feet tall,
has a branch spread of 60 to 70 feet, and 1s more than 100 ) years old.
In a public park at Brunswick (9) there is a tree, a veteran in
1768, which was called Lovers’ Oak by the Indians of the locality. It
is claimed for this tree that it 1s the “largest live oak in the South.”
FAMOUS TREES ed
A foot above the ground its circumference is 28 feet. (Compare
Old Pisa, near Daytona, Fla., and Locke Breaux, Arnaud Robert, and
George Washington live oak in Louisiana.) With the sun directly
overhead, the shadow of Lovers’ Oak measures 90 feet in diameter.
Big Oak, a live oak (Quercus virginiana), at Thomasville has a
circumference of 19 feet, a height of 47 feet, a branch spread of 133
feet, and is about 200 years old. (See Trees that have had special
protection, p. 56.)
Oglethorpe Oak (Quercus virginiana), 11 Savannah, Ga., with a
circumference of 21 feet 6 inches at about 5 feet from the ground
and a spread of 114 feet, was reported by the American Genetic
Association in September 1915 (54).
A loblolly or old-field pine (Pinus taeda) about 4 miles north of
Gordon, Wilkinson County, in the swamp of Great Commissioner
Creek, on an island subject to overflow, has a circumference of 19
feet at 3 feet from the ground and is 125 feet tall (47). It has been
estimated that this tree would cut about 16,000 feet of lumber, but
it is hoped that it will be preserved as an example of what nature will
do if unhindered.
IDAHO
A western red cedar on the Washington Creek drainage not far
from Headquarters, Clearwater County, Idaho, which was still stand-
ing July 31, 1931, has been acclaimed as the “largest western red
cedar so far recorded in Idaho.” It has a circumference at breast
high of 39.4 feet. This tree was reported by Elers Koch, assistant
regional forester, and J. A. Fitzwater, forest inspector of the Forest
Service.
A lowland white fir (Adzes grandis) near the top of Moscow Moun-
tain is reported by Floyd L. Otter, instructor, School of Forestry,
University of Idaho, as having a circumference of more than 14 feet
at breast height.
An estimate of the ages of the large cedars (junipers) of the Roose-
velt Grove in the Kaniksu National Forest, near Priest River, gives
the ages as between 2,000 and 3,000 years, as reported by Floyd L.
Otter (1929), instructor of forestry, School of Forestry, Moscow.
C. K. McHarg, Jr., of the northern forest region, reports a western
white pine on the Little North Fork of the Clearwater River, in
Idaho, which has an estimated diameter, breast high, of 7 feet, mean-
ing a circumference of about 22 feet.
A western white pine growing on land of the Potlatch Lumber Co.,
20 miles from Moscow, was 207 feet tall and 425 years old, when
reported in 1912 (2).
A mountain willow (Saltz scouleriana) near the top of Moscow
Mountain is reported by Floyd L, Otter, instructor, School of Fores-
try, University of Idaho, as being more than 5 feet in circumference
at breast height.
ILLINOIS
The State forester of Illinois reports a cypress in Massae County
having a height of 137 feet with the reputation of being “the tallest
tree in the State.”
A bur oak in Brownfield Woods, Urbana, almost 16 feet in circum-
ference and 104 feet tall, is reported by State Forester R. N. Miller.
78 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
INDIANA
According to C. R. Tillotson, of the Forest Service, in a letter of
March 21, 1919, to John Gill, Haddon Farm, Haddonfield, N. J., the
largest white oak on record at that time was one at Atwood, the cir-
cumference of which was 21 feet. However, this list includes several
later-known rivals.
An oak near Warsaw (20) has a circumference of very nearly 22
feet.
A sycamore (Platanus occidentalis Li.) at Worthington, Greene
County, about 70 miles southwest of Indianapolis, was adjudged the
largest shade tree in the United States in the 1915 contest of the
American Genetic Association. It has a circumference of 42 feet 3
inches at about 5 feet from the ground; a height of 150 feet; and a
branch spread of about 100 feet Ch, 5,6, 54).
A large sycamore at East Mount Carmel was reported by V. W.
Agniel, of Princeton, July 16, 1920, to the Forest Service, as found
while making a survey along the Ww abash River; Mr. Angiel gives
the measurements as about 341/ 5 feet in circumference and about 150
feet in height.
IOWA
Lincoln Memorial Jalal een y is 110 feet high and nearly 12 feet
in circumference (10, v. 26, p. 514). (See Trees associated with nota-
ble people, p. 9.)
Twin cottonwoods, 80 feet in height, are reported from Solon.
KANSAS
A cottonwood east of Engelwood has a circumference of 31 feet
and is said to be the largest tree in Kansas (105, pp. 12-14).
KENTUCKY
An oak in Harrison County with a circumference of 31 feet 5 feet
trom the ground, a height of 125 feet, and a spread of 70 feet was
reported by the American Genetic Association in September 1915
(6, 54).
A sassafras on a farm near Glendale, Hardin County, was reported
as having a circumference of 14 feet 6 feet above ground (37).
LOUISIANA
A cypress tree estimated to be 1,300 years old and measuring 16,175
board feet in volume when cut recently in the Amite River swamp in
Livingston Parish, is reported by Extension Forester Robert Moore
of Louisiana State University. The age was calculated by counting
the annual rings. The tree had a merchantable length of 86 feet
8 inches, measured 7 feet 8 inches across the stump, and was sound
throughout (98).
A sweetgum near Urania has a circumference of 18.8 feet and a
volume of 10,580 board feet, according to the late Henry E. Hardtner,
president of the Urania Lumber Co.
Edwin Lewis Stephens, president of Southwestern Louisiana Insti-
tute, says (89, 90): “I at present number among my personal ac-
quaintance 43 live oaks whose individual age is not less than 100
FAMOUS TREES 79
years.” First on the list he puts the Locke Breaux Live Oak, on the
right bank of the Mississippi River, 4 miles above Hahnville, in
St. Charles Parish. Measured January 22, 1932, by Dr. Stephens
and the owner of the tree, Samuel Locke Breaux of New Orleans, it
showed a circumference of 35 feet, a height of 75 feet, and a branch
spread of 166 feet. It is probably nearer 200 than 100 years old
(fig. 37).
Second on the list, Dr. Stephens describes the Arnaud Robert Live
Oak, 6 miles above “Breaux Bridge, in St. Martins Parish, about a
mile west of the Teche. Dr. Stephens visited it in company with
the late Albert E. Winship, of Boston, on September 18, 1932, and
found its circumference to be 33 feet 10 inches, its height 87 feet,
Ss ok
F—288640
FIGURE 37.—LOCKE BREAUX LIVE OAK, ST. CHARLES PARISH, LA.
SO MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
and its branch spread 135 feet. This tree, also, is probably 20)
years old.
Others of Dr. Stephens’ list with a girth of more than 25 feet are:
George Washington Live Oak, in ‘Audubon Park, New Orleans,
which measured 8, feet around on October 9, 1932. P. H. Fontaine.
of Kentwood, contributes an interesting description:
In the summer of 1897 I measured the George Washington Oak (92, p. 20) in
Audubon Park. Four feet from the ground its circumference then was 22 feet.
Comparison of this with my measurement of the tree in 1932, when I found it
to be 28 feet 6 inches around, shows that during that period of 35 years there
was an increase in circumference of 6 feet 6 inches—or 78 inches. Dividing
78 by 35, we get an average annual increase of 2.23 inches, which approximates
closely the annual growth of the 18 live oaks on Southwestern campus that
were set out January 1, 1901. Their average annual increase was 2.4 inches.
Luling Oak, on the right bank of the Mississippi, by the side of
the Old Spanish Trail (U. S. 90), a quarter of a mile south of
Luling, measured in September 1930, showed a circumference of 27
feet 8 inches.
Martha Washington Live Oak, in Audubon Park, New Orleans,
has a circumference of 2714 feet.
Mays Live Oak, on the right bank of Bayou Grosse Tete, on Live
Oak Plantation at Rosedale, has a circumference of 2714 feet.
Seven Sisters, on the old Lastrapes place, in St. Landry Parish,
near Washington (one dead) ; others in two clusters (of three each)
measuring 26 feet 4 inches to 27 feet 3 inches in circumfer ence.
Jamison Oak, on the Preston Pugh plantation near Thibodaux
in Lafourche Parish, has a circumference of 27 feet 2 inches and a
branch spread of 140 feet.
Kaplan Oak, 4 miles above the mouth of the Bayou Vermillion
near the Intracoastal Canal, has a circumference of 27 feet 1 inch.
Big Double Live Oak at Parks on the Teche when measured on
March 3, 1931, showed a circumference of 27 feet.
Fredericks Point Live Oak (92, p. 77), in Terrebonne Parish, has a
trunk measuring 32 feet and is a venerable tree. As a result of bat-
thng for centuries with tropical storms, it is now in a deplorable
condition, but it is said that funds will be made available for its
rehabilitation.
A live oak, known as Grandpere (92, p. 79), in Marrero, Jefferson
Parish, has a circumference of 29 feet 6 inches, with a spread of 155
feet.
Wesley Schriefer Live Oak (92, p. 19) has a circumference of
26 feet 8 inches. It is located at Perry, near Abbeville. The Stands-
bury home was built in front of this tree 150 years ago.
Oak Alley Live Oaks (92, p. 19), a wonderful avenue, situated on
the Mississippi River, in St. James Parish, has 28 trees, 14 on each
side, all large, perfect, and healthy. One of them is 22 feet 8 inches,
and there are others over 22 feet in circumference. The alley from
the mansion to the highway next to the levee on the south side of the
Mississippi River is from 700 to 800 feet long. The arch formed by
the trees is most symmetrical and beautiful. It is said the house
was built by Governor Roman in 1836, and the oaks were planted
at that time. (See also De La Ronde Oaks, Trees associated with
the building of the Nation, p. 27.)
Hohen Solms pecan (fig. 38), on the west bank of the Mississippi
River, 36 miles south of Baton Rouge, a tree which, in 1927, the
FAMOUS TREES 81
FIGURE 38.—TYPICAL LARGE PECAN NEAR HOHEN SOLMS, LA., WEST BANK OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, 36 MILES SOUTH OF BATON ROUGE, LA. (COURTESY OF C. A.
REED, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.)
National Pecan Growers’ Association designated as the largest pecan
in the United States. At the time it had a circumference of 21
feet. (Compare with Jumbo, a pecan in San Saba, Tex., p. 94.)
MARYLAND
An ailanthus near Carmichael has a circumference at breast height
of 16 feet 1 inch, according to measurements of the State department
of forestry reported June 1, 1928.
165233 °—39——6
82 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
A basswood with a circumference of 10 feet 4 inches at breast.
height, a height of 84 feet, and a branch spread of 85 feet, is reported
by Mrs. John F. Symington, of Rodgers Forge, according to the
State department of forestry.
An English beech belonging to Mrs. W. J. Starr, near Easton,
is 1314 feet in circumference, with a height of 85 feet and a spread
of 81 feet, as measured by the State department of forestry in 1928.
A dogwood owned by S. F. Baldwin, near Collington, Prince
Georges County, measures 514 feet in circumference, 18 feet in height,
and 35 feet in spread of branches, according to the State department
of forestry.
A hackberry near Venton, Somerset County, measuring 12 feet 2
inches in circumference, 86 feet in spread, and 68 feet in height.
has been reported by its owner and measured by the State department
of forestry.
A hemlock at Swallow Falls, Garrett County, was reported as
having, when measured by a representative of the State department
of forestry on June 1, 1928, a circumference of 8 feet 11 inches, a
height of 108 feet, and a branch spread of 40 feet.
A red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) on the place of Mrs. W. J.
Starr, near Easton, is 11 feet 7 inches in circumference, is 52 feet
tall, and has a branch spread of 43 feet, according to the measure-
ments of the State department of forestry, reported June 1, 1928.
A Kentucky coffeetree near Cecilton, 1214 feet in circumference, 72
feet in branch spread, and 105 feet tall, was reported by the owner,
Mrs. Kate McLane, and measured by the State department of forestry.
It was reported by the department on June 1, 1928.
A black locust measuring 12 feet 11 inches in circumference, 73
feet in height, and 67 feet in branch spread, near Glyndon, and a
honeylocust measuring 16 feet in circumference, 88 feet in height.
and 125 feet in spread of branches, near Centerville, were reported
by the State department of forestry June 1, 1928.
Outstanding representatives of red and sugar maples are reported
by owners from near Forest Hill and Sang Run. A red maple near
Forest Hill, in 1928 measured 1614 feet in circumference, 68 feet in
height, and 57 feet in spread of branches. The sugar maple measured
1614 feet in circumference, 105 feet in height, and 84 feet in branch
spread. Both of these trees were measured by a representative of
the State department of forestry.
On a farm about 1 mile from Hyattstown, Frederick County, there
is a red oak which has a circumference of 22 feet 114 feet from the
eround. This tree was reported by M. D. Hyatt, of the Navy Depart-
ment, Newport News, Va., to the Forester, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, July 17, 1922.
A white oak near Landover, Prince George County (/6) has a cir-
cumference of 25 feet 1 inch at breast height, a height of 85 feet, and a
branch spread of 96 feet. It was officially measured by a representa-
tive of the State department of forestry and reported June 1, 1928.
A white oak owned by James E. Steuart, at Annapolis (76), has a
circumference of 22 feet 7 inches, a height of 99 feet, and a branch
spread of 114 feet.
Wye Mills Oak (fig. 39), a white oak about 9 miles from Easton.
According to an inscription on a tablet attached to the tree, 1t has a
83
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S4+ MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
circumference of about 20 feet and a branch spread of 14014 feet (29).
In 1930 it was 391 years old.
Spanish oak is a name used in Maryland and other nearby and
Southeastern States for southern red oak. An outstanding tree of
this species is reported by the owner near Sudley, and by the State
department of forestry (June 1, 1928), as measuring 23 feet 5 inches
in circumference, 105 feet in height, and 129 feet in spread of branches.
A giant willow oak reported by its owner near Easton, and meas-
ured ‘by a representative of the State department of forestry, has a
circumference of 21 feet, a height of 103 feet, and a branch spread of
97 feet.
A loblolly pine near Carmichael, reported by the owner in 1928 and
measured by the State department of forestry, has a circumference
of 16 feet 4 inches, a height of 84 feet, and a branch spread of 105
feet.
A Carolina poplar was reported by the owner at Preston through
the State department of forestry, June 1, 1928. That department
reports that the tree’s circumference is 14 feet, its height 110 feet,
and its branch spread 106 feet.
A sassafras at Sandy Springs, measured by a member of the State
department of forestry, has a circumference of 12 feet 1 inch 414 feet
from the ground, according to E. N. Munns, Chief of the Section of
Silvics, Forest Service, in a letter to S. A. Casey, Lebanon, Mo., dated
November 2, 1931.
A sycamore near Funkstown, measured by a representative of the
State department of forestry, when reported June 1, 1928, had a cir-
cumference of 23 feet 3 inches, a height of 103 feet, and a branch
spread of 100 feet.
The Liberty Tree on the campus of St. John’s College, Annapolis,
has a circumference of 32 feet 4 inches 2 feet from the ground and is
150 feet tall. The State department of forestry in 1928 reported this
tree’s circumference as 26 feet, its height as 124 feet, and its branch
spread as 117 feet.
A black walnut near Chewsville measured by a representative oi
the State department of forestry and reported in 1928, had a cir-
cumference of 19 feet 7 inches, a height of 100 feet, and a branch
spread of 132 feet.
A black willow (Salix nigra) near Chewsville was reported by the
State department of forestry in 1928 as measuring 141% feet in cir-
cumference, 61 feet in height, and 66 feet in br anch spread,
A weeping willow (Salix babylonica) reported from near Thur-
mont is an exotic species native to western Asia, but naturalized in
a number of localities from the Central Atlantic States westward to
Michigan and Illinois. This tree, measured by the State department
of forestry in 1928, had a circumference of 1514 feet, a height of
53 feet, and a branch spread of 79 feet.
An English yew, one of the trees on Mrs. W. J. Starr’s estate near
Easton is 8 feet in circumference and 41 feet tall and has a branch
spread of 49 feet, as measured and reported by a representative of
the State department of forestry in 1928.
MASSACHUSETTS
A white birch ( possibly Betula populifolia) in Athol, Worcester
County, is 12 feet 2 inches in its smallest circumference, according
FAMOUS TREES 85
to the report made by the American Genetic Association in con-
nection with its 1915 tree contest (6, 54).
The Rugg Elm, or Gates Elm, at Framingham (83, excerpt; 84,
pp: S12), appears to be a rival of the Wethersfield Elm in size and
age if not in reputation. (Compare with The Great Elm, at Wethers-
field, Conn.) It has been said of the Rugg Elm: “If, indeed,
it is a single tree and not two trees springing from a common root
system, it is without doubt the largest elm to be found any-
where in New England.” Records of its dimensions give its ¢ir-
cumference as Qe feet where the trunk divides and as 2814 to 30
feet at the base, its height as 70 feet, its branch spread as 145 feet,
and its age as between 300 and 400 years.
Beeman Oak, Lanes a large red oak, has a circumference of
20 feet, a height of 75 feet, and a branch spread of 90 feet. (See
Trees associated with fe building of the Nation, p. 30.)
Waverley Oaks, along Beaver Branch, at Waverley (10, v. 28, p.
551), must have been sizable trees when the Norsemen and the Indians
were rivals for the possession of this region. (See Trees associated
particularly with writers and literature, pp. 48-49.)
At Concord, near the famous monument, there is a willow whose
circumference is 22 feet at breast height, its height 43 feet, and its
. . =
branch spread 63 feet, according to Simmons (84, pp. 8-12).
MINNESOTA
The largest white pine tree in nine States of the Central West,
according ‘to the News-Tribune, Duluth, stands near Pike Bay west
of Cass Lake. It is 130 feet high and 14 feet in circumference, has
a volume of 5,960 board feet, and is more than 400 years old. This
tree was reported by E. L. Besley, executive assistant, Chippewa
National Forest, (fig. 40.)
MISSISSIPPI
“A live oak grove of surpassing beauty, 10 miles west of Ocean
Springs (89), is s reported by Mrs. James R. Leavell, of Chicago, as on
her place at Doonegate. Speaking of the Doonegate live oaks, Presi-
dent Stephens, of Southwestern Louisiana Institute, says
The splendid live oak groves, avenues, and individual trees to be found in
and near Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Miss., are worthy of a place along with
the best we have in Louisiana.
The Confederate Tree, a red oak which stands on North Lamar
Street in Oxford, is claimed to be among the largest and oldest
trees of its kind in the South. Its trunk is about 15 feet in cir-
cumference, and its branches shade an area approximately 600 square
yards in extent. (See Trees associated with the building of the
Nation, p. 31.)
MISSOURI
A soft maple at Warrensburg, with a circumference of a little
over 13 feet at 3 feet from the ground, was reported by the American
Genetic Association in September 1915 (6, 54).
Big Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) im Mississippi County, 2 miles
from the river, measured about 20 feet in circumference in 1932.
This tree stands out among surrounding trees, mostly hickories,
being noticeably taller, and its crown is thick and spreading. This
86 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
F—319177
FIGURE 40.—LARGEST REMAINING WHITE PINE TREEIN THE LAKE STATES REGION,
NEAR PIKE BAY, LOOP ROAD, MINN. (COURTESY OF GEORGE W. KELLEY.)
FAMOUS TREES 87
tree was described by Woodbridge Metcalf, extension forester for
California, in a report to the Forest Service, March 20, 1986.
A sassafras tree on the old Casey Farm, Laclede County, has
a circumference of 15 feet 3 inches 6 feet above ground and is over
100 years old. This tree was reported by S. A. ‘Casey of Lebanon,
Mo., in a letter to the Forest Service dated October 22, 19381.
MONTANA
According to the report of Forest Ranger H. J. Thol, as of April
15, 1929, an . Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) on the Flathead
National Forest, has a circumference of nearly 19 feet. Its top is
broken off at about 80 feet.
Another Engelmann spruce on the Flathead has a circumference
of nearly 19 feet and an estimated height of 200 feet. This tree
also was reported by Forest Ranger H. J dtholras ot Aypril 5, 1929:
NEBRASKA
A cottonwood at Milford, with a circumference of 36 feet 5 feet
from the ground, a height of 128 feet, and a spread of 78 feet, was
reported by the American Genetic Association MON (Ono!)
NEW JERSEY
The white oak in the Friends’ Cemetery, at Salem (fig. 41), (7; 9;
23, 35; 57; 69a; 71, p. 14) has a circumference of 1914 feet and
a branch spread of 117 feet. It is nearly 90 feet tall. One estimate
places its probable age at 300 years, another at 350 to 400 years. (See
Trees associated with religion, pp. 52-53.)
F—349620
FIGURE 41.--SALEM’S FAMOUS WHITE OAK TREE AND TABLET ERECTED IN ITS
HONOR.
SS MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Tatum Oak (white oak), at Mantua Grove, about 4 miles from
Woodbury, has a circumference of 2514 feet at 4 feet above ground,
above all enlargement caused by roots. It is 94 feet tall and has
a branch spread of 121 feet. Its estimated age is about 1,000 years.
This information is contained in letters from John A. Whitall,
president of the Gloucester County Historical Society, New Jersey,
to the Forest Service, dated August 22. 1916, and January 10, 1917.
Also Alfred Gaskill, then State “forester, is quoted as claiming that
this is the largest white oak tree east of the Alleghenies.
The same letters report a white oak at Mantua (6, 54) on a knoll
on the bank about 3 miles farther up the creek than Tatum Oak,
which has a circumference of 20 feet 1 inch 4 feet from the ground.
The spread of its branches is given as 118 feet.
A sassafras at Madison has been reported by the owner, Henry
Hentz, as having a circumference of 1214 feet 614 feet above the
ground, a height of 75 feet, and a branch spread of 5014 feet. Cor-
respondence and photograph in files of the Forest Service.
A black walnut on Hanover Neck with a circumference of 24
feet has been listed among the largest individual hardwood trees by
Lamb (6, 54).
NEW YORK
New York is represented in this hall of fame by three notable
elms: The Gowanda, the Elm of Italy Hollow, and the Markham
Elm. The Gowanda Elm, “New York’s Greatest Tree,” has a cir-
cumference of more than 30 feet. Simmons (845, pp. 9-12), says:
The Gowanda Elm is 89 feet in circumference near the ground, and is with-
out limbs to 50 feet from the ground, at which height its girth is 20 feet. The
tree is 100 feet tall and contains 17,000 board feet of lumber, sufficient to make
1,800 barrels.
Records submitted in a contest for the largest tree in New York,
organized by the State Coilege of Forestry at Syracuse and the New
York State Forestry Association, in 1921, gave this tree the prize as
having a circumference of 34 feet 2 inches,
Elm of Italy Hollow, near the town of Middlesex, carried off the
prize in a big-tree contest sponsored in New York State in 1920 by
the State College of Agriculture. Its circumference is given as 32
feet and it shades an area of 8,650 square feet. (See Trees asso-
ciated with the building of the Nation, p. 33.)
A giant elm, whose long life has almost run its course, 1s the Mark-
ham Elm (77, pp. 42-43) on the estate of that name 2 miles north
of Avon. The circumference of the trunk has measured 40 feet, but
it 1s much decayed and as far back as 1893 a part of the huge tree
blew down, making it possible to saw a section across and count the
annual rings, w hich showed that the tree was then about 600 years
old. (See ‘Trees associated with the building of the Nation, p. 33.)
At the home of Ellis Parker Butler, at Flushing, Long Island
(65) there is a white oak with a circumference of 17 feet. It is
only 54 feet tall and has a branch spread of 90 feet. Its real
claim to distinction is its age, estimated by the botanist, Asa Gray,
as 600 years. Since Gray died in 1888, his estimate of the tree’s ege
inust be increased by about 50 years.
FAMOUS TREES 89
A red oak at Lloyds Neck, on the north shore of Long Island (/0,
v. 28) has been claimed by ive Britton, of the New Yor k Botanical
Canien, to be the largest and finest specimen of red oak in the East.
It has a circumference of 16 feet 8 inches at 3 feet from the ground
and a branch spread of 150 feet. It is thought to be more than 400
years old.
Lafayette or Geneva Century Balsam Poplar, on Hamilton Street,
Route 20, just west of Geneva, is already listed (p. 10). According
to GB: Sudworth, dendrologist of the Forest tae Ice, Measure-
ments taken June ii 19D: show that the tree was then 95 feet tall,
with a branch spread of 110 feet and a circumference of 22 feet 2
inches 514 feet from the ground. (See Trees associated with notable
people—Lafayette Trees, p. 10.)
Balmville, which is within a few miles of Newburgh, obtained its
name from a huge poplar or balm-of-Gilead tree, measurements
of which have been taken at intervals since 1782. According to
latest measurements it has a circumference of 21 feet 8 inches, 2 “feet
from the ground (71, p. 29; 85).
Inwood Tuliptree, at the easter n base of Inwood Hill, at the north-
ern end of Manhattan Island, at the mouth of Harlem River, is said
to be “the only living thing on Manhattan Island which w as there
when Henry Hudson came.” This tree has a circumference of 19
feet and is 123 feet tall (See Trees associated with the building of
the Nation, p. 35.)
Wayne Black Walnut, or Black Walnut of Stony Point, near the
town of Stony Point, has a circumference of 21 feet at 4 feet from the
ground and is 80 feet tall. (See Trees intimately associated with
other famous people, p. 138.)
NORTH CAROLINA
A chestnut tree on the main range of the Great Smoky Mountains,
3 miles from Crestmont, was entered in the tree contest of the Ameri-
can Genetic Association in 1915. This tree then had a circumference
of 33 feet 4 inches 7 feet from the ground and a height of 75 feet.
It was then said of it that “after the San Benito Oak of California,
this is the largest nut-bearing tree submitted” in the contest (6, 54).
(It is possible that this tree has been killed by the blight.)
McLaughlin White Oak at Statesville (63), has a circumference
of 30 feet just above the ground and a branch spread of about
108 feet.
The South’s Living Christmas Tree, a magnificent live oak in
Hilton Park, Wilmington, under whose spreading branches the com-
munity Christmas festivities are held.
This unique Christmas tree is said to be between 200 and 3800 years old.
The spread of its branches is about 110 feet, the circumference of its trunk is
approximately 15 feet and its height is 75 feet. It is claimed that it would
take three 2-ton trucks to carry away the moss on the Wilmington Christmas
tree (42).
A pine in Coaky swamp, Edgecombe County, has a circumference
of 31 feet and is 17 5 feet tall. It has been claimed for it that it is
“the biggest tree in North Carolina,” but this claim should be com-
pared with that of the Crestmont chestnut, North Carolina (7).
99 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
The tallest tree entered in the American Genetic Association con-
test of 1915 was a tuliptree on Reems Creek, not far from Craggy
Mountain, about 15 miles from Asheville. This tree was credited with
a circumference of 3414 feet 4 feet above ground and was 198 feet tall
(6, 54). The Department of Agriculture (67) found that this tree
had a breast-high circumference of 28.7 feet and a height of 144 feet to
a broken top when measured in 1932. According to a report from C.
A. Abell, assistant silviculturist, Appalachian Forest Experiment
Station, Asheville, of August 238, 1935, this yellow poplar was burned
down by unknown persons on April 15, 1935. Apparently the fire
had been started inside the hollow base. Newspaper reports of the
burning of the Reems Creek tree said that a group of “Harvard sci-
entists” had once estimated the age at more than 1,000 years.
On Cane River, near Blue Sea Falls, there stands a tuliptree with
circumference at breast height on the contour of 25.3 and a total
height of 132 feet. The top of this tree has been broken off for some
time. From the size of the stub at the top, it seems probable that the
Cane River tree was 200 feet high at one time and taller than the
Reems Creek tuliptree. This tree was reported by C. A. Abell, as-
sistant silviculturist, Appalachian Forest Experiment Station.
OHIO
Rathbone Elm at Marietta (6, 10, v. 26, pp. 236-237) has a circum-
Terence of 27 feet 314 feet from the ground. It is believed to be nearly
700 years old. (Compare with the Logan Elm, Trees associated with
the building of the Nation, p. 37.)
A monster cucumbertree (A/agnolia acuminata) is in Gale Woods,
Morrow County. Its circumference, 9 feet, is not unusual, but it is
about twice as tall as the average.
A soft maple in Salem, with a circumference of 111% feet 4 feet
above ground and a height of 7314 feet, was reported by the Ameri-
can Genetic Association in September 1915 (6, 54).
A sassafras near the Ohio River, on a farm 8 miles east of Marietta,
has a circumference of 13 feet 11 inches 1 foot from the ground but
above the roots. Its trunk height is 32 feet, the top of the tree hav-
ing been blown off. The top of the present highest branch is about
55 feet. This tree was reported by Charles L. McCollum, of Marietta,
to the National Geographic Society in a letter dated March 4, 1926,
and the letter was referred to the dendrologist of the Forest Service.
OKLAHOMA
A bald cypress 114 miles west of Eagletow n, McCurtain County,
has been called the “biggest tree in Oklahoma.” It has a cireumfer-
ence of nearly 50 feet and a height of 100 feet. This grand old cy-
press stands on the land that was the former seat of government of
the Choctaw Nation (17, v. 33, ». 544) (fig. 42).
A cottonwood near Aline, more than 30 feet in circumference, was
said to be the largest tree of any kind growing in Oklahoma, but since
that claim was made the record of the Eagletown bald cypress has
appeared to outrival it (7).
OREGON
A black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) 2 miles southeast of
Corvallis 25 feet in circumference above the main base swell and
FAMOUS TREES Oj}
F—321105
FIGURE 42.—THE BIGGEST TREE IN OKLAHOMA, A BALD CYPRESS, NEAR EAGLE-
TOWN, MCCURTAIN COUNTY. (COURTESY OF AMERICAN FORESTS.)
125 feet tall, is “believed to be the largest angiosperm in the West”
(S87), but compare it with the six California oaks listed.
There is a Douglas fir near Pawn, on the Siuslaw National Forest,
which is 295 feet high (60).
A white fir with a circumference of about 1114 feet, and a height of
133 feet, in Klamath County, is reported in bigtree statistics compiled
0? MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
by Ernest L. Kolbe, junior forester, Pacific Northwest Forest Experi-
ment Station.
The same list contains a mountain hemlock (7'suga mertensiana) of
unusual size in Crater Lake Park. Its circumference is given as
16.6 feet and its height as 156 feet.
Summer Lake has a western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)
nearly 12 feet in circumference and 35 feet high, according to Ernest
L. Kolbe, junior forester, Pacific Northw est Forest Experiment
Station.
The Pioneer Walnut, at Salem, is a California black walnut that
was planted at Salem in the pioneer days of the Oregon country.
According to the measurements of C. A. Reed of the Department of
Agriculture, this tree has a circumference of 10 feet 11 inches about
6 feet from the ground. Several tons of nuts are harvested from
it every year (10, v. 28, p. 553).
PENNSYLVANIA
An American chestnut tree on a farm near Spinnerstown, Bucks
County, was reported (32) as having a circumference of 33 feet
2 feet from the ground and a height of nearly 90 feet and being 220
vears old. It was said then to be the largest chestnut tree in Penn-
sylvania. (Since most chestnut trees in this section have succumbed
to the chestnut blight in recent years, this one may be dead now.)
The W ashineton Horsechestnut, one of the largest horsechestnut
trees in North “America, may be found on the property of the Bath
& Portland Cement Co., near Bath, Northampton County. It meas-
ures 17 feet in circumference 6 feet from the ground (45, ed. 2). (See
Trees associated with notable people, p. 4.)
A bur oak at Huntington (44, ed. /), is 29 feet in circumference
1 foot from the ground.
A swamp white oak at Bedford (44, ed. 7), has a circumference of
2714 feet. It was entered in a State bigtree contest in 1925.
A white oak at Kutztown, Berks County (10, v. 28, pp. 551-453),
has a circumference of 31 feet at the ground. It is believed to be the
largest white oak in Pennsylvania.
Sacred Oak of the Delaware Indians of Oley Valley, Berks
County, a few miles northeast of Reading, is a chestnut oak 22 feet
in circumference, with a branch spread of 116 feet. (See Trees that
have had special protection, p. 58 and fig. 28.)
A white pine cut near the mouth of Cedar Run, Lycoming County,
had a circumference of more than 37 feet, was 200 feet tall, and had
a volume of 6,500 board feet below the branches.°
A white pine south of Aaronsburg, Center County, has a circum-
ference of only 1014 feet and is 140 feet high. It is, however, of
venerable age—235 years (44).
A sassafras in a quaint old graveyard directly opposite the Friends’
meeting house, Horsham, has a circumference of 16 feet at 5 feet
from the ground. The top is broken off, leaving only 19 feet of the
trunk standing, Before its decline, the tree was estimated to be
over 100 feet tall. It is of venerable age also. (See Trees associated
with religion, p. 55.)
_8 PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTS AND WATERS. MAMMOTH WHITE PINE. Pa.
Dept. Forests and Waters. Serv. Letter, ser. 2 (402): 4. [Mimeographed.]
FAMOUS TREES 93
Chipman Sassafras, at Dunwandrin, estate of the late Frank L.
Chipman, 4 miles w est of Easton, Northampton County, has a circum-
ference of nearly 14 feet 18 feet from the ground. It is almost 100
feet high. It lost its crown in 1933. Although its exact age 1s not
known, it is beheved to have lived through the entire history of the
United States (72)
John Goodway Sycamore, 2 miles west of Linglestown, Dauphin
County, is a remarkably large and sound tree for one of such size
and age. It is named for the last of the friendly Indians in the
district about Harrisburg. It has a circumference (May 17, 1937)
of 21 feet at breast height and a branch spread of 105 by 120 feet.
(71, p. 37 and fig. 8.)
A sycamore on the bank of Neshaminy Creek about 15 miles north
of Philadelphia, was reported in a letter from John G. Whitall.
Woodbury, N. J., dated January 10, 1917, to the Forest Service. The
only measurement given was a circumference of 34 feet, but, according
to the writer, it was “claimed to be the largest tree east of the
Allegheny Mountains.” (Compare with the Longw ood (Fla.) cypress
and the Coaky swamp (Edgecombe County, N. C.) ae
A sycamore 4 miles west of Lancaster, and between Lincoln High-
way and Marietta Pike, has a circumference of 22 feet 5 feet above
ground, a en of 102 feet, and a branch spread of 118 feet east to
west and 138 feet north to south. It is believed to be more than
200 years old (44, ed. 1).
Fort Hunter buttonwood. (See Trees associated with the building
of the Nation, p. 39 and fig. 21.)
SOUTH CAROLINA
Angel Oak, Johns Island. This oak has a height of 160 feet. The
longest branch is 76 feet long. The circumference of the trunk is
21 feet.
Middleton Oak, an outstanding live oak, the genius of the estate.
at Middleton Gardens on the Ashley River, about 17 miles north of
Charleston (78). Experts have variously estimated the age of this
oak as being anywhere from five to seven centuries, and ‘vet glori-
ously sturdy and healthy it stands, braving storms and renewing its
youth each recurring spring, freshening its mantle with tender green.
The branches form almost a perfect circle, giving a shade span at
noon of 180 feet. Its trunk measures 35 feet in circumference, 5
feet above the ground.
What is known as the Spy Oak at Hillcrest, near Stateburg, has
a circumference of a little more than 28 feet, and it is more than 400
years old. (See Trees associated with the building of the Nation,
p. 40.)
TEN NESSEE
In Washington County is the Daniel Boone “Bar Tree,” a beech
reported in 1915 to be 350 years old (67). It then had a circumfer-
ence, breast high, of 714 feet and was 85 feet tall. (See Trees asso-
ciated with the building of the Nation, p. 40.)
The Kingsport Elm Gi UA SOOy i ‘1, p. 46), that “veteran giant of
Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tenn.,” has a circumference of 241,
feet and a height of 150 feet. It is believed to be between 400 and
500 years old.
O4 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
TEXAS
Bishop Live Oak (97, 92, p. 20), near Rockport in Aransas County,
is reported by Burtt Potter as worthy of comparison with the best
in Louisiana. It is credited with a circumference of 25 feet 6 inches
4 feet above the ground. It ranks eleventh in a list of notable live
oaks reported by President Stephens of Southwestern Louisiana
Institute, the 10 that are larger ranging from 35 to 27 feet, all of
them in Louisiana.
Jumbo, a pecan tree in San Saba, near the Colorado River, which
is a claimant to the title “largest pecan in the world,” is 120 feet
high, with a clear length of 41 feet to its first limb. This pecan
has a much larger bole than the Hohen Solms pecan in Louisiana,
but in circumference the latter excels, according to C. A. Reed, as-
sociate pomologist, Bureau of Plant Industry. The spread of the
main branches of Jumbo is 100 feet. It is said of this veteran that
“a thousand years ago it was a hardy sapling” (76).
UTAH
A notable white fir (Advzes concolor), pronounced by an ecologist
“the most magnificient fir in the world,” is on Timpanogos Mountain.
It has a circumference of 17 feet 8 inches and is 110 feet tall (30).
This is a specimen of unusual size for the interior of the continent.
On the California Sierras it attains much greater size, but no individ-
uals have been reported from there.
What is believed to be the oldest juniper tree in the world is
being protected by the Forest Service, according to reports received
from the Cache National Forest, in northern Utah, near the main
Logan Canyon Highway. A careful examination of this tree made
by scientists from “the Utah State Agricultural College and Forest
Supervisor Carl B. Arentson showed the age of the tree to be not
less than 3,000 years, thus putting this tree in the age class of the
redwoods of California. The circumference breast high j is 2314 feet,
and the height is 42 feet (72, 56, 97, fig. 43.)
VERMONT
Veteran rock maple in Vermont’s oldest sugar maple orchard, Pine
Grove Farm, on Putney Road, one-third of a mile west of the Con-
necticut River (iE, p. Yet). The tree’s base shows the knotted, un-
even growth covering scars made by the old boxing method by which
the tree was made to ) yield its annual crop of sap before tapping bits
came into general use (fig. 44).
VIRGINIA
An arbovitae (northern white cedar) at Natural Bridge, 15 feet
in circumference, 90 feet tall, and with a branch spread of 33 feet,
is probably the oldest tree in the East, with the exception of the
Florida cypresses (48, p. 17).
A water oak at Toddsbury (48, p. 20), one of the oldest estates in
Gloucester County, has a circumference of 26 feet and a branch
spread of 120 feet. Apparently it was a tree of goodly size when
Toddsbury was established in 1658.
FAMOUS TREES 95
F—190205
FIGURE 43.—OLD UTAH, AGED JUNIPER NEAR LOGAN CANYON HIGHWAY, CACHE
NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH.
An oak on Willoughby Bay (48, p. 77), at the summer home of
J. A. Ridgeville, has a circumference of 19 feet and a spread of 57
feet. Its distinction is its great age, which is estimated to be between
500 and 600 years.
Live oaks at Fort Monroe, near the reviewing stand on the parade
ground (48, p. 1/9) are among the northernmost live oaks to be found
in the United States. There is every evidence that these oaks were
here when the first settlers arrived in Virginia.
A pecan tree at Brandon-on-the-James, is between 10 and 11 feet
in trunk diameter, which means that it has a circumference between
31 and 34 feet. This tree is believed to have been well established
when the house was built in 1770 (48, p. 14).
06 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
F—321107
FIGURE 44.—VETERAN ROCK MAPLE, SOLE SURVIVOR OF VERMONT’S OLDEST
SUGAR ORCHARD, PINE GROVE FARM, VT. (COURTESY OF AMERICAN FOR-
ESTRY ASSOCIATION.)
A sassafras on a farm near Keswick has a circumference of 18 feet
4 inches, 5 feet from the ground, and is probably the largest sassafras
in the country. According to Lay (S)—
some years back this tree was a hollow trunk, broken off at the top and languish-
ing. Someone built a fire in the interior which was quenched with difficulty.
It was thought that the fire would finish the tree. Instead, it killed the bugs
and hardened the interior surface and the old tree stump branched out, like
a dressy old woman, in a new Easter bonnet, with a crown of strong healthy
boughs.
FAMOUS TREES O7
Martha Custis Yew, an English yew, at Williamsburg. This
famous tree has a cir cumference ‘of 14 feet at its base, and its branch
spread is 35 feet in diameter. (See Trees intimately associated with
other famous people, p. 16.)
WASHINGTON
Statistics compiled by Ernest L. Kolbe, junior forester, Pacific
Northwest Forest Experiment Station, include several western red
cedars (Thuja plicata), the most notable of which is one at North
Bend, with a circumference of about 58 feet and a height of 200 feet.
He reports a smaller western red cedar on the Snoqualmie National
Forest as more than 1,100 years old.
A giant arborvitae (western red cedar) in Snohomish County (fig.
45) is so large that a path has been cut through the trunk. The
trunk has a circumference of 39 feet 9 inches (10, 08 Fie Dolo)
According to C. R. Clark, former forest examiner, Kaniksu Na-
tional For est, there is a giant arborvitae on that forest measuring 36
feet in circumference and estimated to be 2,000 years old.
The largest Douglas fir of which there is an accurate record stood,
until recently, in a grove of giant cedars and firs near Mineral (60d,
74, 88). This tree, ‘measured in 1924 by a Pacific Northwest Forest
Experiment Station expert, had a circumference of more than 48
feet and a height of 225 feet to a broken top. It was estimated to
be more than a thousand years old (fig. 46.) It was blown down in
a severe wind storm in 1930.
Another Douglas fir, near Little Rock, was reported in 1900 (60).
Its circumference was given as 18.8 feet, which is not remarkable,
but its height was 330 “feet, which eained it a reputation as “the
tallest Douglas fir on record.”
Other Douglas firs in Washington notable for great height include
one hear Hoquiam, 318 feet high: a second near Little Rock, 310
feet high; and a third, near Darrington, 325 feet high (60.)
The oldest Douglas fir of which there is any authentic record was
found in 1913 by Ranger Hilligoss on the Finney Creek watershed
about 30 miles east of Mount Vernon. The age count was made on
a section about 40 feet above the stump, and the age at that point
was 1,375 years. Since at least 25 years were required to reach the
height at which the age count was made, this tree must have been
over 1,400 years old when cut (SS). The next oldest is the tree at
Mineral. There may be taller, older, or larger trees than these Doug-
las firs, but the Forest Service has no record of accurately measured
trees which surpass those described.
The statistics compiled by Ernest L. Kolbe, junior forester, Pacific
Northwest Forest Experiment Station, include Douglas firs at Min-
eral, Little Rock, Hoquiam, and Mount V ernon; and in addition,
one at Ryderwood, circumference 36 feet and height 303 feet: an-
other at Lebam Mill, circumference 31.4 feet and height 225 feet ; and
several others with circumferences of less than 30 feet.
Statistics for the North Pacific Forest Region in volume-study
data of the Pacific Northwest Forest Experiment Station, compiled
by Ernest L. Kolbe, junior forester, include three western hemlocks
165233 °—89 7
O8 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DERT. OF AGRICULTURE
F—32784
FIGURE 45.—GIANT ARBORVITAE (WESTERN RED CEDAR) IN SNOHOMiISH COUNTY,
WASH
(T'suga heterophylla) 210, 254, and 259 feet tall, though not of un-
usual circumference, in the vicinity of Cathlamet.
Columbia Forest Methusaleh. This is a ponderosa (western yel-
low) pine believed to be the biggest yellow pine in the State of
Washington and the oldest living thing within the Columbia National
Forest. It is 4 miles north of Peart Take on the road that leads to
99
FAMOUS TREES
--305148
(COURTESY
F
WASH.
’
NEAR MINERAL
LARGEST DOUGLAS FIR TREE,
FIGURE 46.—
OF T. J. STARKER AND AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION.)
100 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Bird Creek Meadows. At breast height it has a circumference of
23 feet. It would take four men, each with arms outstretched and
touching hands, to encircle the tree. Experts estimate its age at
450 years. This tree was reported by E. P. Cecil, forest supervisor.
A Sitka spruce near Soleduck River, on the Olympic National
Forest, has a circumference of 50 feet and a reputation at the time
it was measured for being “the largest living spruce yet reported”
in the North Pacific Region. Its top is broken off 150 feet from the
ground. This tree was “reported August 4, 1919, by Forest Assistant
N.L. Carey, after a field trip connected with a Sitka spruce study.
A later field report, part of a similar study, the results of which
have been published by the Department of ‘Noriculture (28), tells
of a Sitka spruce in the vicinity of Quinault Lake, with a circum-
ference of 50 feet and a height variously estimated at 282, 285, and
296 feet.
Large Sitka spruce trees on the Olympic National Forest were re-
ported from the regional office in a letter dated September 19, 1916,
giving measurements taken by Forest Examiner Hanzlik at Walker
Brothers operation, about 3 miles from Humptulips, in July 1914.
The three trees measured as follows: Height, 273 feet, and circum-
ference (breast high), 25 feet; height 269 feet, and circumference
(breast high), 29 feet; height, 248 Spee and eirceumference (breast
high), 28 feet.
Statistics compiled by Ernest L. Kolbe, junior Forester, Pacific
Northwest Forest Experiment Station, include the Soleduck River
end the Humptulips Sitka spruces and others of notable size, among
them three, respectively, 279, 282, and 285 feet tall, which are located
in T, 29 N., R. 11 W., in the Olympic National Forest, near the north-
ern boundary.
A western yew (Taxus brevifolia) on the Hamma Hamma water-
shed, Olympic National Forest, with a breast-height circumference
of over 9 feet, is reported by Floyd L. Otter, instructor in the School
of Forestry of University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.
WEST VIRGINIA
Mingo White Oak (38) near the head of Trace Fork of Pigeon
Creek in Mingo County, 10 miles south of Logan, is believed to be
the largest w hite oak in the United States. The age of this mountain
patriarch is estimated to be 577 years, and it is 145 feet tall. In
February 1932 Perkins Coville, of the Office of Silvics, Forest Serv-
ice, commenting on a report of the characteristics of the Mingo White
Oak, estimated that its circumference at the ground was 30. feet, its
over-all height 135 to 165 feet, and its volume 20,000 board feer,
(Death of this tree was reported by the State for ester, May 4, 1938.)
WISCONSIN
A silver maple on the west bank of the Menominee River, near
soldiers’ home grounds, in the vicinity of Milwaukee, has a cireum-
ference of nearly 29 feet 1 foot from the ground and an estimated
height of 70 feet. It has been said of it that it is “probably the larg-
est tree in the vicinity of Milwaukee” (27).
Twin white pines in the Nicolet National Forest (fig. 47), are re-
ported by Forest Supervisor Warren T. Murphy, who states that these
FAMOUS TREES 101
F—286247
FIGURE 47.—TWIN WHITE PINES, NICOLET NATIONAL FOREST, WIS. (COURTESY
OF TORKEL KORLING.)
giant individuals in a stand of virgin timber contain at least 7,200
Boar d feet of lumber. According +6 him, one of the trees measures
121, feet in circumference and the other 111% feet.
OUTSTANDING FOREIGN RIVALS
Many countries have trees notable for great size or age.
Because of lack of space and often of accurate record, foreign trees
cannot be included in this list. However, there is one gr eat Gree whieh
is in such close competition in age, 1f not also in size, with our
102 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
sequoias, that it should be included, if only by way of comparison
(S6, 3s.
The Cypress of Tule (Zaxodium mucronatum) , in the Indian village
of Santa Maria del Tule, a few miles east of the city of Oaxaca, Mexico,
is, in the opinion of Herman Von Schrenck, consulting timber engineer
of St. Louis, Mo., not less than 4,000 years old. According to Dr. Von
Schrenck (27) the Tule tree is 140 feet high, and 24 men can barely
span it with their arms, its circumference 40 inches from the ground
being about 117 feet. He says:
But the true circumference is hard to measure because of the great unevenness
of the trunk, which is far from being a true cylinder. This unevenness has
caused many persons to believe that this tree is really three trunks grown
together instead of one. But most botanists who have viewed it, admitting that
this cypress can thus fuse its trunks and even its branches, say that the Tule tree
is really a single trunk and that such unevenness is a characteristic of the
species.
Glassman (36) journalist on newspapers of Cincinnati, Washing-
ton, Louisville, and New York, said of the Cypress of Tule after a
special personal study:
Following the sinuosities of El Tule’s gigantic trunk, one measures its
perimeter as 108 feet at a height of 5 feet above ground. So far as known,
no organism ever attained such a vast girth. But El Tule’s girth is out of
all proportion to its height of 141 feet, which is surpassed by trees in more
temperate climates.
In the most recent report on this tree giant, Shamel (79), of the De-
partment of Agriculture, gives, as his own measurements taken on
October 4, 1936: Circumference, 113 feet 4 inches; diameter 36 feet 1
inch; and height, 118 feet 7 inches. He says that ‘while this tree has
about the same diameter as the General Sherman sequoia, it is not
nearly so tall,” and that “its age is estimated variously at from 4,000
to 10,000 years.”
Reports have been made of Australian trees 400 and even 500 feet
tall, but the tallest eucalyptus now standing is a giant gum (/ucalyp-
tus regnans) in Victoria, which is 325 tall (45).
FREAK TREES
Strange misadventures sometimes befall trees. Weather, particu-
larly wind, is one of their adversaries. Various human, plant, and
animal agencies also make hving difficult for many trees.
Freak trees are interesting not only as curiosities but also as
illustrating a remarkable capacity for adaptation. A thrifty tree may
have grown in an unnatural environment—out of its element, as it
were—or have overcome some serious handicap. There is both sur-
prise and satisfaction in the study of the way in which it has dealt
with its difficulties.
Thus, the tree with roots embracing stone or ironwork, growing
from an old stump or in the crevice of a rock, the Siamese twin trees,
G-trees, multiple trees, the prayer-book pine tree and others listed
have special interest for students of nature,
CALIFORNIA
“A maple tree on a redwood grows,” at Scotia. This curiosity of
the tree world is admired by all tourists who pass along the Redwood
FAMOUS TREES 1038
Highway, which runs from San Francisco to Crescent City. When
the highway was being built, the president of the Pacific Lumber
Co., at Scotia, would not permit the destruction of this unique land-
mark, and the sidewalk was swerved to preserve it.
Multiple tree—freak pine growth. A yellow pine on the Plumas
National Forest is really four complete trees growing from the same
stump. ‘The oe was undoubtedly bent “and broken by heavy
snows, and certain of the branches on the upper side grew upward.
Where the sapling touched the ground, another br ranch started
skyward.
Prayer-book pine tree, Blochman Ranch in Cathey Valley, Mari-
posa County. In 1924 a small sear near the base of the tree at-
tracted the attention of a student of the University of California.
A few probes of a knife blade brought to hght tiny bits of paper.
By means of a sharp ax which cut ‘through several inches of new
growth, a small leather-covered Bible or prayer book was disclosed.
In growing over the wound, the tree had completely covered the
volume with a coat of pitch, so that the leather was still somewhat
flexible. The paper was found in good condition and the print legi-
ble, but because of the pressure on : the top and bottom of the book,
it is impossible to turn the pages. This 1s a splendid example of the
prowess of tree growth in closing a wound. Ring counts have not
been made on the cut, but it seems hkely that the ‘tree had the little
volume in its keeping for more than half a century.
CONNECTICUT
A magnificent old elm stands on the property of Rutherford Pratt
at Hamburg. It has grown around a gravestone bearing the name
Jasper Gray and the date 1782. Asa sapling the tree was evidently
planted at or near the head of the grave.
About a mile below Winchester, a maple tree 8 or 10 feet in cir-
cumference has grown upon a split rock apparently drawing its
sustenance up thre ough the cleft.
A hollow oak, said to be the oldest tree in Derby, stands at the
southwestern end of the Colonial Cemetery there. In the hollow of
the trunk are two old gravestones.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
An alianthus embracing an iron fence grows in front of 616 Sixth
Street, NW. This tree of heaven has grown around an upright as
well as the horizontal frame of the fence.
FLORIDA
Nature’s symbol of the “Gator State.” The root of a banyan tree
has taken the form of an alligator at Fort Lauderdale.
Live Oak with roots exposed so that the tree appears to be growing
on a table of its own manufacture in the Ocala National Forest
(fig. 48).
GEORGIA
Double pine grows on Pine Mountain in Harris County near
Columbus. This is a longleaf pine, starting as two trees 6 feet apart
104 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U.S: DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
at the ground, crossed but not joined 7 feet from the root. At a
height of 30 feet the two trees are joined together, forming one
complete tree:
ILLINOIS
Near Norris City is the Vaulting-Pole Cottonwood. In the spring
of 1815, two boys returning from a log rolling on a farm near Norris
City, made a wager as to who could vault the farther, using their cot-
tonwood handspikes as vaulting poles. They left their handspikes j m
the soft earth, and during the spring rains of 1815 the handspikes
both took root and lived. One has since died, but the other, when
last reported, had passed the century in age and had grown to more
than 30 feet in circumference and 175 feet in height.
F—314512
FIGURE 48.—LIVE OAKONA‘‘TABLE’’ BUILT OF ITS OWN ROOTS. OCALA NATIONAL
FOREST, FLA.
INDIANA
A remarkable example of tree adaptation is reported from Greens-
burg. On the courthouse tower there is thrftily growing a large-
tooth aspen which is about 20 years old. Sev eral other trees have
grown on this tower, which is built of blocks of limestone. Seem-
ingly the trees draw their nourishment from the mortar between the
stones. There is no way to get to the tree except by a scaffolding
or by employing a steeple jack. Therefore the belief that Greens-
burgers have some secret way of watering it is clearly in error. It is
sustained by the sun and the rain and the persistence of its root
system.
Naturally grafted beech trees are to be found 414 miles south of
Salem. These two trees were united when first discovered nearly
100 years ago. The connecting limb is about 20 feet from the ground
FAMOUS TREES 105
and was at that height when the joining took place. The common
branch did not originate in both trunks. It sprang from one and,
after pressing against the other for a time, grew fast to it by a
process of erafting.
Wayward White Oak grows near Laporte. This tree is 9 feet
in cireumference at the base. Fifteen feet from the ground the bole
divides into a number of limbs. Two limbs leave the trunk about 20
inches apart, and 12 feet from the body of the tree unite again, form-
ing a perfect oval. Six feet from the base, another white oak less
than half the size of the Wayward Oak, meeting one of its circle
of branching limbs, grows into it and is absorbed.
A paulownia tree 2 feet in diameter at Rockport, was dehorned at
18 feet above ground 11 years ago, having grown unsightly. the tree grew around it.
The Stump Mother, a tree within a tree stump, grows near Alger,
about 10 feet from the highway.
MISSISSIPPI
The G-trees of Biloxi are pines famous for their freak growth
which cannot be caused, as many believe, by the breaking over and
continued growth toward the light, of an ‘individual tree, because
there are a considerable number of trees in different eroups, all of
which, small as well as large, have developed the same peculiar shape.
According to a forester, the explanation lies in the death of the central
terminal shoot and the subsequent effort of the tree to replace it by
substituting one of its laterals or side branches.
MISSOURI
An elm, an oak, and two sycamores grow from one common trunk,
4 miles from Pineville. McDonald County, on the bank of the Elk
River. The trunk itself is a homogeneous whole. Above the union
108 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
of the common trunk are two large divergent trunks of an elm and a
sycamore respectively, and two smaller one ycamore.
Each tree—in leaf, branch, and bark true to its type—leads a nor-
mal life.
NEW JERSEY
Lyre Tree, an elm of freak growth, at the corner of Northfield
Avenue and Falcon Street, Liv ingston (fig. 50).
A “tree on stilts”, on the Delaware River near Philipsburg, is an
elm tree about 200 years old. Its roots are exposed to a depth of
about 10 feet. The rushing waters of the Delaware in the spring
freshets have carried the soil away until the great tree is left on
stilts. The oldest residents in the neighborhood say the tree was
on stilts when they were small boys.
Siamese Twins, two monster holhes about 65 feet high, are grow-
ing a few miles from Sea Isle City, on the island of Five Mile Beach.
About 15 feet from the ground, a branch now nearly a foot in di-
ameter grew out from one of the trees and in some unknown manner
forced its way through the trunk of the adjoining tree, thus solidly
joining the two trees. These trees are of the same thickness and
height. Both are thrifty
Rainbow Tree is a wild cherry within a stone’s throw of the
Wildwood station of the island of Five Mile Beach, a few miles from
Sea Isle City. The trunk of this tree, more than 2 feet in diameter,
after describing an arch or rainbow, rises as straight as an arrow
to a height of 30 feet.
NEW YORK
A publication of the New York State College of Forestry (70),
contains descriptions of nearly 50 freak trees in the State. Among
these are:
Twin beeches, in the Morrisville swamp and in Peterboro swamp.
Elm lyre trees, near Prattville, and at Oswego.
Apple tree with five distinct trunks at Fulton.
Hemlock growing in the crevice of a high cliff of trap rock near Tuxedo.
Locust trees forming a gateway at Saugerties.
Eight cedar trees growing from one stump, Putnam.
An elm tree growing from old stonework. Auburn.
The Lonesome Pine, which grows in a small tuft of moss and huckleberry
bushes on top of a boulder.
OKLAHOMA
Affection Elms, at Shawnee, are trees that were twined together
when young.
OREGON
Cannibal Tree. A Douglas fir entirely enclosing an Oregon white
oak, was reported by the director of the Pacific Northwest Forest
Experiment Station. A cross section of the Cannibal Tree at the
experiment station verifies the story.
An elm tree, planted upside down 15 years ago, is flourishing in
Portland. From the gnarled roots grow leaves larger than those
on normal elm trees. This tree was “reported in the Sunday Star,
Washington, D. C., March 22, 1936, with a photograph, by the Asso-
ciated Press.
Tillamook County, in the Coast Range Mountains, has a freak Sitka
spruce. Sitka spruce is ordinarily one of the stateliest, most symmet-
FAMOUS TREES 109
S \
F--335117
FIGURE 50.—LYRE TREE, AT LIVINGSTON, N. J. (COURTESY OF C. L. WALLACE,
EAST ORANGE, N. J.)
110 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
rical trees and is the largest of the spruces. The freak is a deformed
spruce growing among its faultless fellows. Some distance above
ground, but apparently while the tree was still in the sapling stage.
some accident of growth caused the sending out of two emergency
stems horizontally in opposite directions. These horizontals, turning
upward after a few feet, form a U which extends to the natural
height of the tree.
PENNSYLVANIA
Old Elephant Tree is a peculiar remnant of a grand old catalpa
tree, in Bristol. This is a gigantic stump more than 25 feet high,
which, from one viewpoint, looks like an elephant standing on its
hind legs. It stands in front of an old homestead and attracts the
curious attention of all passers-by.
The swamp white oak and red maple twin tree, one-half mile south
of Doylestown, is a voluntary union of two trees of widely dissimilar
families, so rare that it is worthy of record. The first union in growth
is about 10 feet from the ground, and the upper and much smaller
union is about a foot above the first. The trees are slightly united
at other points, and other junctions are in process of forming.
Siamese Twin white oak is near the village of Gardenville, about
4 miles from Doylestown. Except at the base and again a few feet
farther up where they again join, there are two perfect trunks. The
oval-shaped opening was not produced by disease or insects.
RHODE ISLAND
The Little Old Man in the Tree is a curiously formed English oak
on an estate at Newport, so-called because of the twisting of the
branches just where the branching begins.
TEN NESSEE
The Tree With a Handle is near Madisonville. A small limb of
this tree has practically completed a circle and grown back through
the trunk.
VIRGINIA
Jamestown Churchyard Sycamore, which separates the tombs of
James Blair, founder of William and Mary College, and that of his
wife, Sarah Harrison, has attracted attention for many years because
of the havoc it has wrought. Today the sycamore holds within its
hollow trunk one fragment of a marble slab while another may be
seen embedded in the base of the trunk.
Octopus Tree, Charles City County, is a tuliptree or yellow poplar,
271% feet in circumference 6 feet from the ground and is thought to be
more than 500 years old. Some hundreds of years ago, the limbs
were probably broken or bent by savages or wild animals, so that
they have been distorted into the semblance of a writhing octopus.
A cedar tree growing in the fork of a locust tree at Rectory has
reached such size that it is splitting the locust in two, as reported in
the Washington Post, August 1, 1935.
WASHINGTON
Armed Oak, at Chehalis, has grown around an old rifle laid in the
fork years ago.
FAMOUS TREES jE
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(8)
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(10) ————
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(12)
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(18)
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(Qe aes
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481, illus.
@)) =
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(17)
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(20)
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(22)
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19 MISC. PUBLICATION 295, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
(23) ANoNyMous—Continued.
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(24)
1934. BIG TREE 2,000 YEARS OLD CRASHED AFTER WINDSTORM. Sci. News
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(25) =
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(26)
1936. 364-FOOT REDWOOD DECLARED TALLEST. Calif. Lumber Merchant 14
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FAMOUS TREES 113
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ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
WHEN THIS PUBLICATION WAS LAST PRINTED
SeCrelany Of Agriculluncase = .8 = 2s eens Henry A. WALLACE.
WTVers SCCHEE GTI] at epee eet ee oe gee ee CuaupE R. WIcKaRD.
TANOSUSONE TICS AOL U ae ay ee A Be os GROVER B. HItu.
Director ofeinformation= 22 25a) = ie eens M. 8. EISENHOWER.
Director-of atensvonaW Oni sees ae ee M. L. WIitson.
DiReClors Opp Ha OIiCes ss ey he Se eee W. A. JUMP.
Dar CChOTA OP EZCESO RAVE! ae ttre cpap eo em Roy F. HENpRICKSON.
DR RECKOP Opi THOSOTI AC see ee eed ae OS JAMES T. JARDINE.
Director of Manketingqua 2a san eae Mito R. PERKINS.
Solicitor gh ENaC pg ONE i a, 2 Mastin G. WHITE.
BandwWise Coon ginatore ss see aie M. 8S. ErisENHOWER.
Ovjiccojp lant and. Operations: 22 ea sane ArTHUR B. TuHatcuHeEr, Chief.
OfjiccropC a Cas Alciuitics as ene ere FreD W. MorreE Lu, Chief.
Office of Experiment Stattons_______________ James T. JARDINE, Chief.
Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations______ LESLIE A. WHEELER, Director.
Agricultural Adjustment Administration ____ R. M. Evans, Administrator.
Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry and Engi- Henry G. Kwnicut, Chief.
neering.
Bureau of Agricultural Economics_______-_-- Hs Rey Lorumy. Chive.
Agricultural Marketing Service____________- C. W. KitcHeEn, Chief.
BUCA Ofs ANIMAL LNOUSIYaoee= ae ee ee JOHN R. MouusEr, Chief.
Commodity: Credu-Corponatton=22- 2 = 3222 Cart B. Rospsrins, President.
Commodity Exchange Administration_______- JosEPH M. Ment, Chief.
BS UGEGU Of AD COTY ML AUGUSEL YS = ee ee O. E. REEp, Chief.
Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine. LEE A. StronG, Chief.
Harm Cred Administration. 2s. oases A. G. Buack, Governor.
Farm Security Administration________-___- C. B. Batpwin, Administrator.
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. _____ ~~ Leroy K. Situ, JJanager.
Surplus Marketing Administration_________ Mito R. PERKINS, Administrator.
PROT ESU IS ChUtCOm Bite Cy tae te ee es a ane EaRLE H. Cuapp, Acting Chief.
Bureau. oj Lome HConomics= =) a == =e LovuisE STANLEY, Chief.
ALO sree oe I A a pe ee Peleg ne CLARIBEL R. Barnett, Librarian.
BuneauzOpeelantelndustiny as == 25 es aa ene KE. C. AucHTER, Chief.
Rural Electrification Administration___-___- Harry SuaTTeRY, Administrator.
SOUL CONSERVATION AS ChUUCE Mes ean amine ay ee H. H. Bennett, Chief.
116
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