The Henry Clay Oak, also called the Henry Clay Tree, was a historic white oak which grew to a prodigious height and girth in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, possibly predating the founding of the city in 1792, until, stricken by disease and the elements, it was cut down by the local authorities in 1991.
The tree became established in a side-yard of the house built for William Polk in 1815, and according to local tradition, Henry Clay wrote his famous Raleigh Letter of April 17, 1844, in which he vigorously opposes the annexation of Texas by the United States and foreshadows war with Mexico, while resting under its shade. [2]
The land, and the Henry Clay Oak, later became the property of Colonel Alexander B. Andrews. [1]
A historic marker for the tree was erected in 1938 by the Colonel Polk Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution. [3]
The Henry Clay Oak grew to a height in excess of 100 ft (30.5 m), with a 100 ft spread and a trunk diameter of 6½ ft (2 m). [4] Damage from the elements and disease led the local authorities to cut down the dying tree on October 9, 1991. [5]
The 1844 United States presidential election was the 15th quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, November 1 to Wednesday, December 4, 1844. Democrat James K. Polk narrowly defeated Whig Henry Clay in a close contest turning on the controversial issues of slavery and the annexation of the Republic of Texas. This is the only election in which both major party nominees served as Speaker of the House at one point, and the first in which neither candidate held elective office at the time.
Raleigh is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeast, the 41st-most populous city in the U.S., and the largest city of the Research Triangle metro area. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city covers a land area of 148.54 square miles (384.7 km2). The U.S. Census Bureau counted the city's population as 467,665 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It is ranked as a sufficiency-level world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the now-lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,328. Its county seat is Columbus.
Chatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the location of the geographic center of North Carolina, northwest of Sanford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,285. Its county seat is Pittsboro.
Scouting in North Carolina has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Cary is a town in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina, and the 148th-most populous in the United States. In 2023, the town's population had increased to 180,010.
Quercus virginiana, also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. Many very large and old specimens of live oak can be found today in the Deep South region of the United States.
The Chinese Elm cultivar Ulmus parvifolia 'Dynasty' is a United States National Arboretum introduction reputed to be very fast-growing.
The winged elm cultivar Ulmus alata 'Lace Parasol' was found by a North Carolina nurseryman growing in local woods. Removed to his yard, it remained there until his death, when it was removed again to the North Carolina State Arboretum in Raleigh by J. C. Raulston.
Carya glabra, the pignut hickory, is a common, but not abundant species of hickory in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States and Canada. Other common names are pignut, sweet pignut, coast pignut hickory, smoothbark hickory, swamp hickory, and broom hickory. The pear-shaped nut ripens in September and October, has a sweet maple like smell, and is an important part of the diet of many wild animals. The wood is used for a variety of products, including fuel for home heating. Its leaves turn yellow in the Fall.
The North Carolina Executive Mansion is the official residence of the governor of North Carolina and their family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by architects Samuel Sloan and A.G. Bauer. The first occupants, Governor Daniel G. Fowle and his daughter, Helen Whitaker Fowle, moved into the unfinished building in January 1891. It is an example of Queen Anne style architecture.
Colonel William Polk was a North Carolina banker, educational administrator, political leader, renowned Continental officer in the War for American Independence, and survivor of the 1777/1778 encampment at Valley Forge.
Events from the year 1849 in the United States.
Thomas Polk was a planter, military officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781, and a politician who served in the North Carolina House of Commons, North Carolina Provincial Congress, and Council of State. Polk commanded the 4th North Carolina Regiment in the Battle of Brandywine. In 1786, Polk was elected by the North Carolina General Assembly to the Congress of the Confederation, but did not attend any of its sessions. Polk was a great-uncle of the 11th President of the United States, James K. Polk.
The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment from Massachusetts, that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
The Andrews-Duncan House is a historic building located at 407 North Blount Street in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Built in 1874 for a prominent businessman, the Italianate style home was designed by architect George S. H. Appleget. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972 and is currently owned by the state government. A large tree named after a presidential candidate once stood behind the house and is commemorated with a historical marker.
The North Carolina State University Memorial Belltower is a 115-foot-tall (35 m) free-standing bell tower on the Main Campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina Conceived as a war memorial to honor university alumni killed in World War I and the university's overall participation in the conflict, the Belltower now serves as a perpetual memorial for N.C. State students and alumni who gave their lives in the service of the nation. A prominent university symbol, the tower is a popular rallying point for the campus community.
Mary Hilliard Hinton was an American painter, historian, clubwoman, and political activist. She was a leader in North Carolina's anti-suffragist movement and an outspoken white supremacist, co-founding and running North Carolina's branches of the States Rights Defense League and the Southern Rejection League. A prominent clubwoman, Hinton was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Colonial Dames of America, and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America; serving as a booklet editor, artist, registrar, and state regent for the North Carolina Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Alexander Boyd Andrews was a North Carolinian engineer and railroad executive. He was also a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War.