Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-12-16
A BOSTON LANDMARK
HISTORY OF A FAMOUS OLO ELM
DESTROYED 81 TIE WIND.


OF the City. Was Blown Down In
the Great storm OF 1876.
Feb. -. 1876. was a sad day for To-
cal historians I'm Boston. for the news
papers announced the next day that at
about o'clock the previous evening
the old elm on Boston Common had
been destroyed 10y q great storm which
swept over the city az that time SO
many euloEies. both oral and written.
were delivered ON this most ancient Of
Boston's landmarks. and It was real
lied that a connecting link with tie
remote past was gone forever.
It is not known when the tree began
20 grow. but an old Boston tradition
was that the wife OF Thomas Hancock.
the eminent merchant. who was lydia
Henchman before her marriage. claim
ed that her grandfather. Hezeklah
Henchman. planted the tree when he
was boy. This would have made the
tree just 200 years old at the time OF
its destruction.
Ii Is probable that some OF the many
persons on record as being publicly
executed on Boston Common looked on
the fair world FOR the last time when
standing beneath its branches. FOR Il
was one OF the largest trees. IN not the
largest. in the town. and IL stood on
It's outskirts. and also in 1T22 Il must
have been a prominent object IN Bos-
ton for BOnner's map OF the town,
published ia that year shows Il as
feature
In 1925 the first recorded measure
ment OF the old elm showed It's d.
mansions 20 be as follows: Height. 65
feet; circumference. p feet 3 inches ct
2 feet o inches from the ground. and
the extreme diameter OF the branches
was SO feet At this time 10 was said
OF the tree that this pride OF our Com
mon is pronounced 10y Judges 20 be as
handsome ga form as Il IS large ia size
and venerable in age. and 40 may be
worth the remark. Notwithstanding all
the bunct.ng 81 has received from
storms and hurricanes for more than
a century, its original beauty and sym
mctry have not been Impaired. al
though 30 has al times lost many OF its
branches"
The tree was accurately measured 10y
the city engineer OF Boston Ia 1855. and
81 was found that 90 was considerably
larger than in ls2J. It's height being
figured 40 seyenty-lve feet This
showed that 10 was still growing IN its
extreme old age
The first serious damage the tree re-
ceived was in 1892. when the largest OF
It's limbs was So rent asuuder that
three branches rested on the ground.
but at much cost aud labor they were
replaced IN their former positions and
held together by iron rods and bolts.
The great gale in June. 1850. injured
the tree 90 such an extent that it, for
mer symmetry was destroyed and at
this time the cavity In the trunk was
filled with several loads OF material.
On one OF the branches which were
torn of az the time 100 rings were
counted. which indicated the great age
OF the tree.
The opening OF the centennial year OF
the republic. 1876. found the tree alive.
but decrepit. and Il would probably
have been decorated on Evacuation
day and the Fourth OF July, but, as
stated az the beginning OF this article
Feb. - saw its destruction.
The old elm fell at III O'Clock IN the
evening. its trunk pointing toward the
Park Street church. and the force OF
the fan shattered the trunk, while the
branches were scattered in every d.
rectiOn. The melancholy news spread
like widhre through the city. and soon,
despite the storm. the fallen monarch
was surrounded by relic hunters. Arm
ed with saws, hatchets and knives.
they quickly detached pieces OF the
branches to preserve as souvenirs. Per
sons were seen in the theaters laden
with boughs. and It was a common
sight that evening to see men IN the
streets carrying limbs several feet IN
length and as large around as a stove
pipe. Much OF the tree was made into
veneer, and one book at least OF local
history has on It's back cover q large
veneer from the tree. bearing on its
face a lifelike engraving OF the same.
So passed the old elm, and Boston
mourned for its passing.
DR.. Jerome V. c. Smith. mayor OF
the city IN 1854, showed his interest in
the old elm by having the tree care
fully pruned and cleaned, and he
caused TO be placed around II an orna-
mental iron fence. octagonal in shape.
On the entrance gate was attached au
oval tablet bearing the following In
scriptiOn:
THE OLD ELM
This tree has been standing here foI
IN unknown period II is believed 20 have
existed before the settlement OF Boston
being fun grown IN l722: exhibited marks
OF Old age In 1882 and was nearly destroy.
&c by a storm In lss2. Protected by ar
iron inclosure IN 1854
j. V c. SMITH. Mayor.
Soon after the falling Of the old elm
young tree OF the same species was
planted in the center OF the Enclosure
and today IL has attained large and
sturdy growth. Coming generations OF
BoStonians may be familiar with q
second old elm on Boston Common, but
II will always be the first old elm
which Witnessed. very possibly, the