The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-01-03
A BOSTON LANDMARK
HISTORY or a FAMOUS OLD G-h
DESTROYED GY THG WIND.

the Great storm of 1870.
Feb. 10. 1876. was a sad DAY f-r lo
cal historians ln Boston, FOR the news
papers announced the next day thar 90
about Z o'clock tLe previous evening
the old elm on Boston Common ha'
been destroyed by great storm which
swept over the city at chat time. $50
many eulog,cs, both oral aud written.
were delivered Oh this most ancient os
Boston's landmarks, and IL was real
lied that connecting link with the
remote past was gone forever.
Il IL not known when the tree began
to grow, but an old Boston tradition
was that the wife Of Thomas Hancocs,
:hc eminent merchant, who was Lydia
Henchman before her marriage, claim
ed that her grandfather. uezeEiah
Hcnchman. planted the tree when hc
was boy. This would have made The
tree just 200 years old at the time Of
its destruction.
IL is probable that some OF the many
persons on record as being publicly
executed on Boston Common looked oI
the fair world for the last time whca
standing beneath its branches, for 90
was one Of the largest trees, II not the
largest. In the town, ana 1t stood on
its outskirts. ana also In lI22 IL must
have been a prominent object la Bos-
ton. for Bouuer's map Of the town,
published in that year. shows 1t us q
feature.
In 1925 the first recorded measure.
ment OF the old elm showed It's di.
mcnslons ID be as follows: Height, c.
feet: circumference, n feet inches al
feet q inches from the ground, aud
the eXtrc..-c diameter of the branchcs
was SO feet At this time 1t was said
of the tree that this pride OF our Com
mon is pronounced by judges to be as
handsome In form as 1t is large In size
and venerable In age, and it may be
worth the remark. notwithstanding al,
the buncting It has received from
storms ana hurricanes for more than
century, It's original beauty and sym
mctry have not been impaired, al.
though II has at times lost many Of It's
branches"
The tree was accurately measured by
the city engineer of Boston in 1855, and
II was found that 1t was considerably
larger than in 1925 its height being
figured at seventy-flve feet. This
showed that II was stll growing I'm its
extreme old age.
The first serious damage the tree re.
ceived was H. 1882, when the largest Of
its limbs was so rent asundcr that
three branches rested on the ground
but at much cost and labor they were
replaced in their former positions and
held together 10y iron rods and bolts
The great gale in June. 1860. injured
the tree TO such an extent that its for.
mer symmetry was destroyed, and az
this time the cavity in the trunk was
filled with several loads of material
On one of the branches which wore
torn or at the time 100 rings were
counted. which indicated the great AZ,
of the tree.
The opening of the centennial year ot
the republic, 1875. found the tree alive
but decrepit. and 1t would probably
have been decorated on Evacuation
day and the Fourth of July, but. a'
stated at the beginning of this article
Feb. 10 saw Its destruction.
The old elm fell nt T:l7 o'clock I'm tn,
evening, its trunk pointing toward th'
Park Street church, and the force %
the fall shattered the trunk, while III,
branches were scattered In every dl
rectiOn. The melancholy news sprca,
like wildnrc through the city, and soon
despite the storm. the fallen monarcl
was surrounded by relic hunters. Arm
ed with saws, hatchets and knives
they quickly detached pieces Of tn
branches TO preserve as souvenirs. Per
sons were seen In the theaters ladcl
with boughs, and IL was common
sight that evening TO see men in tn
streets carrying limbs several feet II
length and as large around as n stove
pipe. Much OF the tree was made int
veneer. and one book at least of loca
history has on its back cover n larg
veneer from the tree, bearing ON a.
face lifelke engraving OF the same.
SO passed the old elm. and Bosto'
mourncd for its passing.
DIR. jerome V. c. Smith, mayor o
the city in 1854. showed his interest Il
lut olu tlln ny HhNluE lne tree cure
fully pruned and cleaned, and III
caused to be placed around 1t an orna
mental iron fence, octagonal in shape
On the entrance gate was attached nj
oval tablet bearing the following in
scription:
THE OLD ELM.
This tree has been standing here 10
an unknown period. II Is believed TO hav
existed before the settlement of Boston
being full grown in 1922: exhibited mark
OF old age in 1922 and was nearly destroy
cd by storm In 1892. Protected by a
iron Enclosure in 1854
]. V. c. SMITH. Mayor.
Soon after the falling Of the old elr
young tree Of the same species wa
planted In the center OF the inclosurC
and today It has attained a large an