THE HISTORIC TREES OF MASSACHUSETTS 



office in Orange street, and Mr. Oliver 

 Smith, a noted apothecary who dwelt in 

 Milk street, procured subscriptions to the 

 amount of £285 14s yd for the improvement 

 of the Common; and to the efforts of these 

 men the town was indebted for the third 

 row of trees in Tremont street malL New 

 trees have been added as the older ones 

 declined, until, at the present time, the great 

 mall is composed almost entirely of young 

 stock. The Beacon street mall was laid 

 out in 1 81 5 and 18 16, and the expense was 

 defrayed from a subscription raised in 1814 

 for the purpose of defense against a con- 

 templated attack from the British. Here 

 may be found the oldest trees on the Com- 

 mon. Surrounding Shaw's monument and 

 extending west along the mall is a group of 

 eight English elms the largest of which has 

 a circumference of about fourteen feet. 

 There is also a very fine gingko near the 

 Curtis Guild memorial steps. Beyond this 

 point looking west American elms form a 

 canopy of shade quite to the end of the mall. 

 The Charles street mall was commenced in 



n63 



