US Botanic Garden Exhibit
This majestic white oak, 100 feet high with a crown of 148 feet, has seen a lot of history. It's believed to be about 200 years old and it resides in Washington DC, at the former home of Frederick Douglass (1818-95), who born a slave and later became a prominent abolitionist, author, educator, statesman and diplomat. Douglass' home sits high on a hill in the Anacostia neighborhood, with a clear view of the US Capitol and much of the city.
Douglass named the property Cedar Hill, and it is now the National Park Service's Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Although most of the cedar trees are now gone, the Frederick Douglass White Oak is still intact. Douglass referred to the tree in his diaries, and scientists say the tree could live another 200 years. That's a real witness to history.
The current photo exhibition documents 24 trees in the Washington DC area that are historically and biologically significant. Witness trees are silent observers of American history and are identified as such by the National Park Service.
The trees in this exhibit are large and small, old and young, and have either been planted by famous people or established naturally. This photo depicts an American sycamore captured on film by Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner on the battlefield at Antietam on September 17, 1862. It was the bloodiest battle day in US history with more than 23 thousand casualties.
The sycamore was just a sapling near Burnside Bridge when photographed by Gardner, but it is now a splendid specimen. Given the heavy fire and the fierce battle on that day, some historians say it is almost a miracle that the tree survived.
If you're in DC between now and April 19, make sure you see this moving and important exhibition.
(photos courtesy USBG)
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Posted by: Easy Grow Greenhouses | February 25, 2009 at 07:50 PM