Sentinels of History

George Washington kept a written record of every one he ever planted at Mount Vernon. In his meticulous plantation diaries, Thomas Jefferson did the same. When President Andrew Jackson built his first home, he planted some that bore his nickname. We see them everyday, and so don't often give them second thought or a second glance. We enjoy the shade they provide in the summer and the colorful leaves in the fall. But have you ever stopped to think about how trees can teach us history? Historic trees can serve as symbols and reminders of important persons and important events. They can teach us about the history of agriculture and horticulture. They have even served as landmarks and, in some cases, as a means of punishment.

The household ledgers and plantation journals that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson kept show that both men cherished the trees, shrubs, and gardens that were such an essential part of everyday life at Mount Vernon and Monticello. At Mount Vernon seven species, or types, of trees have survived from as early as 1776, a number of which Washington himself planted! Seeing these trees today makes it easy to imagine Washington plotting where each would stand and periodically inspecting their growth during the morning rides he took across his land nearly every day. Thomas Jefferson viewed his trees and flowers as part of an ongoing "laboratory" at Monticello. Carefully drawing out planting plans, Jefferson took careful note of what survived and what did not. Although Jefferson, like Washington, enjoyed the beauty of his trees and gardens, he also wanted to study which species would be the most useful to America.

In addition to the trees that grace Mount Vernon and Monticello, there are trees that have come to represent important events in the history of the nation. The Annapolis Liberty Tree, for example, has stood since before 1696 at St. John's College, and was the meeting place for the local Sons of Liberty in the years before the American War for Independence. The "Spirit of America," a stately sugar maple located in Dorset, Vermont, is said to be at least four hundred years old. Local legend has it that the Green Mountain Boys, a unit of Revolutionary War soldiers, first met and organized under its branches. To complement its many historic buildings, Colonial Williamsburg boasts a number of historic trees that date back more than three hundred years.

Some historic trees, although not denoting important events, stand as landmarks that literally "marked" the way for travelers, pioneers, and settlers. The Surveyors' Corner Beech in Clinton, Louisiana is believed to be an original "corner" tree used by government surveyors in laying out claims to land in the Louisiana Territory during the early nineteenth century. A number of trees scattered throughout Illinois are known as "bent trail trees." Indians traveling throughout the region bent the a then-saplings to indicate the path they had taken. The Cattle Trail Cottonwood in Chase County, Nebraska served as a landmark for many of the cattle drives that came from Texas on their way to railway towns such as Omaha and Abeline.

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