When you travel, you never know what you may find..
Spouse and I took a trip to the Finger Lakes of upstate New York recently, and visited the village of Naples, New York, population about 2,500. We were looking for a place to walk and we found a sign near a small park indicating there was a trail nearby.
In the small park near the trail sign, there was a stone with a marker. It says "Under the parent of this tree, [George] Washington first took command of the American Army, July 3, 1775."
This tree was close to the marker.
George Washington, for those of my readers outside the United States, ended up becoming our first President. Before then, he was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in our war of independence from Great Britain.
He indeed took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775, but it wasn't in Naples, New York. Rather, it was some 388 miles (624 km) away, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
So, what is a tree parented by the tree under which Washington took command doing in Naples? And is it the tree I took a picture of? Well, it turns out, probably not.
For one thing, supposedly, the Washington tree was an elm which died in 1923. It is true that cuttings of the tree were taken before its death, but those cuttings would be quite old now.
Also, most of our Elms died years ago, sadly, from Dutch Elm disease, and any tree a historic elm would have parented would probably also have died from the blight. Finally, it would seem, this "Washington took command of the army" under that particular tree in Cambridge is probably also a myth.
The tree I took a picture of, near the marker, is a maple. So, I did further research.
The website New York Historic says:
"The “Washington Tree” myth, often referred to as the “Washington Elm Tradition,” began as early as the 1830s in many townships where his armies may have passed in a campaign. This one, as well as many other markers with this claim, are assumed false."
Oh well. It was still a good story for #ThursdayTreeLove, hosted by Parul of Happiness and Food every second and fourth Thursday of the month.
Rats. It was such a good story!
ReplyDeleteDiane, it was a good story! Maybe that's why it has persisted as long as it has.
DeleteSometimes the myth is fun, but it's also fun to find out what is myth...
ReplyDeletePennie, I agree! It was fun researching it (when we got back to our motel room).
DeleteYeah, it’s a good story.
ReplyDeleteGood story but, alas, false.
Delete...I've never seen this tree, did you go to Grimes Glen County Park?
ReplyDeleteTom, no, this wasn't at Grimes Park, but, rather, it was across from the Old School House restaurant on a side street off of Mt. Pleasant St. There is a tiny park with two historic markers mounted on boulders. One, the Washington tree marker and the other, honoring Canesque, a Seneca chief. We were not equipped to walk in Grimes Glen, which I didn't even know about until we got to Naples.
Delete...when it's wet Grimes Glen is a difficult walk.
DeleteI wonder how many Naples they are. I could google it. But my post office is actually Naples Idaho
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Aren't there "Washington slept here" signs about everywhere? That was a thing once upon a time, wasn't it? I suspect many of those were more fiction than fact, too.
ReplyDelete