For folks local to the Eastern Shore, you might be familiar with the old Wye Oak Tree and its history. If not, let me educate you.
I love to bring attention to local historical sites in my novels, and in book 3 of the Ridgely Rails Legacy, there is a brief scene where Gloria takes her camera to photograph the Wye Oak in 1947. From 1941 until it's demise in 2002, the Wye Oak was the largest white oak in the United States. In 1939, the Maryland General Assembly purchased the tree and established the Wye Oak State Park.
The Wye Oak was believed to be over 460 years old at the time of its destruction during a severe thunderstorm on June 6, 2002. It measured 31 feet 10 inches (970 cm) in circumference of the trunk at breast height, 96 feet (29 m) high, with a crown spread of 119 feet (36 m). It is believed that the acorn that became the oak germinated around the year 1540. The Wye Oak was still bearing a maturing crop of acorns when it was toppled.
I love to bring attention to local historical sites in my novels, and in book 3 of the Ridgely Rails Legacy, there is a brief scene where Gloria takes her camera to photograph the Wye Oak in 1947. From 1941 until it's demise in 2002, the Wye Oak was the largest white oak in the United States. In 1939, the Maryland General Assembly purchased the tree and established the Wye Oak State Park.
The Wye Oak was believed to be over 460 years old at the time of its destruction during a severe thunderstorm on June 6, 2002. It measured 31 feet 10 inches (970 cm) in circumference of the trunk at breast height, 96 feet (29 m) high, with a crown spread of 119 feet (36 m). It is believed that the acorn that became the oak germinated around the year 1540. The Wye Oak was still bearing a maturing crop of acorns when it was toppled.
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Dr. Frank Gouin, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture at the University of Maryland, Colleg Park, impressed both by the age and size of the tree, as well as its unusual resistance to oak wilt fungus and the gypsy moth, led a successful effort to clone the Wye Oak. The first two cloned saplings were planted at Mount Vernon on April 26, 2002. Another clone was planted in the remains of the trunk of the original tree during a June 6, 2006, ceremony; a marker commemorates the event.
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Upon its falling, immediate efforts were made to salvage and preserve the tree's remains. Pieces of the tree that had fallen in previous years had been used to sculpt works such as the statue of two children planting a tree located in the Tawes State Office Building in Annapolis. A very large section of the lost tree became a new desk for the Maryland governor's office. Wood distributed to artists and crafts persons was used to create carvings, sculptures, oil paintings, a 3-dimensional collage, furnishings, and serving pieces; a gallery of the creations was made available online by the Department of Natural Resources.
You can take a look at the clone of the Wye Oak and visit the Old Wye Mill, a preserved gristmill in Wye Mills, Maryland, that is the oldest continuously operated water powered grist mill in the United States. Founded in 1682, the has a long and fascinating history and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the Revolutionary War, the Mill was called upon to provide flour for George Washington's troops.
You can take a look at the clone of the Wye Oak and visit the Old Wye Mill, a preserved gristmill in Wye Mills, Maryland, that is the oldest continuously operated water powered grist mill in the United States. Founded in 1682, the has a long and fascinating history and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the Revolutionary War, the Mill was called upon to provide flour for George Washington's troops.
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