Basking Ridge White Oak Tree | |
---|---|
Species | white oak ( Quercus alba ) |
Coordinates | 40°42′24.5″N74°32′56.5″W / 40.706806°N 74.549028°W |
Date felled | April 26, 2017 |
The Basking Ridge White Oak Tree (also known as the Holy Oak and Old Oak Tree) was a white oak that stood in the churchyard of the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. [1] The tree was over 600 years old and died in 2016, before being cut down in 2017. [2] It stood at 97 feet tall, and may have been the oldest white oak in the world. [3]
The Old Oak Tree was located in the historical graveyard of the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge. [4] English evangelist George Whitfield and American clergyman James Davenport preached under it on November 5, 1740 to a crowd of 3,000 during the First Great Awakening. [5] George Washington's troops were drilled on the village green, within view, and Washington picnicked under the tree with Lafayette. [6] The 5,500 French troops under General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur marched by in 1781 on their route to Yorktown, Virginia and the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War. [6]
The Basking Ridge White Oak Tree was 619 years old when it died in 2016. It stood at a height of 97 feet (30 meters) and had a trunk circumference of 20 feet (6.1 meters). Its spread was over 130 feet (40 meters). [6] In its final years, its lower branches were supported by metal bars. [7]
In June 2016, the tree was "failing to thrive" and showed signs of distress as its upper parts failed to sprout leaves. [8] By September 2016, the tree had died. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] It was cut down over a three-day period, with the work finished on April 26, 2017. A young white oak grown from an acorn of the old tree was planted in the churchyard. [4]
The current biggest tree in New Jersey is identified as another white oak in the yard of the Sparta Historical Association of Sparta. [14]
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as far as northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been documented to be over 450 years old.
Bernards Township is a township in the Somerset Hills of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the much larger New York metropolitan area, located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 27,830, an increase of 1,178 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 26,652, reflecting an increase of 2,077 (+8.5%) from the 24,575 counted in the 2000 census.
Sparta is a township in Sussex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 19,600, a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 census count of 19,722, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,642 (+9.1%) from the 18,080 counted in the 2000 census.
The Wye Oak was the largest white oak tree in the United States and the State Tree of Maryland from 1941 until its demise in 2002. Wye Oak State Park preserves the site where the revered tree stood for more than 400 years in the town of Wye Mills, Talbot County, Maryland.
Basking Ridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Mingo Oak was a white oak in the U.S. state of West Virginia. First recognized for its age and size in 1931, the Mingo Oak was the oldest and largest living white oak tree in the world until its death in 1938.
Johns Island is an island in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, and is the largest island in the state of South Carolina. Johns Island is bordered by the Wadmalaw, Seabrook, Kiawah, Edisto, Folly, and James islands; the Stono and Kiawah rivers separate Johns Island from its border islands. It is the fourth-largest island on the US east coast, surpassed only by Long Island, Mount Desert Island and Martha's Vineyard. Johns Island is 84 square miles (220 km2) in area, with a population of 21,500.
Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bernards Township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bernards Township School District.
Quercus lobata, commonly called the valley oak or roble, grows into the largest of California oaks. It is endemic to California, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou County to San Diego County. Mature specimens may attain an age of up to 600 years. This deciduous oak requires year-round access to groundwater.
The Old Avery Oak Tree was a white oak tree that stood in Dedham, Massachusetts until it was knocked down in 1972. It had a circumference of over 20 ft (6 m) and stood on East Street near the Fairbanks House. It was named for Jonathan Avery, the owner of the tree, who had an estate that was bounded roughly by East Street, Mt. Vernon Street, Barrows Street, and Brookdale Avenue. The Avery family was one of the early settlers of Dedham, arriving in 1650.
The Somerset Hills is known as the northern region of Somerset County located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and includes the municipalities of Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Township, Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone. The Morris County communities of the Chesters and the Mendhams are periodically recognized as part of the Somerset Hills.
The First Church of Hanover, also known as the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover or the Hanover Presbyterian Church, is located on Mount Pleasant Avenue in East Hanover, Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1718 in what was then the British Province of New Jersey, it is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is the oldest religious congregation in Morris County. The congregation's current building, constructed in 1835, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge is a historic church at 1 E. Oak Street in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The church congregation was founded in 1717. The present church, which was constructed in 1839 in a Greek Revival style, is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Until 2017, the churchyard held the Old Oak Tree of Basking Ridge, which was estimated to be 600 years old.
The Old Scots Burying Ground is a historic cemetery located on Gordon's Corner Road in the Wickatunk section of Marlboro Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 2001, for its significance in history and religion. The Old Scots Burying Ground is about an acre in size, about 195 feet above sea level and dates back to 1685. The total number of burials at the cemetery is not precisely known, suggested by Symms, "There are a large number of graves in Old Scots yard without any inscribed stones". Some reports place the number as at least 100 known graves with most headstones of brown sandstone. However, more recent research using ground penetrating radar reported by the Old Tennent Church in 2001 has put the number of confirmed sites at about 122 graves with a possible 140 more unmarked; placing the number at about 262 total graves in the cemetery. In 1945, in an attempt to clean out the site of vegetation and over-growth, a bulldozer was used on the property and as a result some headstones were dislodged and broken stones removed. The defining structure in the cemetery is a tall monument to Rev. John Boyd, created by the J&R Lamb Company. Built to commemorate the first recorded Presbyterian ordination of Rev. John Boyd. The monument is currently owned by the Synod of the Northeast who holds the property deed but it is maintained by the Old Tennent Church. The last identified burial was in 1977.
The Arbutus Oak was a large white oak tree in Arbutus, Maryland, situated in the southwest corner of the I-695/I-95 interchange approximately four miles southwest of Baltimore. It split and half and fell in 2019, due to internal decay that caused its trunk to become unstable. At that time, it was thought to be 329 years old.
The Parliament Oak is a veteran tree in Sherwood Forest. It is reputed to have been the site for impromptu-parliaments held by kings John and Edward I. In the 19th century the tree was propped-up by William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland. The tree was shortlisted for the 2017 Woodland Trust Tree of the Year award.
The Gospel Oak was a veteran tree in Polstead, Suffolk. The tree is associated with Saint Cedd, who reputedly planted it or preached beneath it. The oak tree is thought to have been named for its association with an annual church service, reputedly held beneath it for more than a millennium, and the tree is said to have been the oldest in the county when it collapsed in November 1953. A descendant grows nearby and has since been used as the site for the annual service.
The King Ludwig Oak is an oak tree recognised as a natural monument in the Staatsbad Brückenau, a state-run spa and park two kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Bad Brückenau in the German state of Bavaria. The German Tree Archive counts the oak among the trees of national importance.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) with photo from 1973