CHAPTER VIII 



AVERY OAK AND OTHER TREES OF DEDHAM 



That old familiar tree. 

 Whose glory and renown 

 Are spread o'er land and sea — 

 And wouldst thou hew it down? 

 Woodman, forbear thy stroke! 

 Cut not its earth-bound ties; 

 Oh, spare that aged oak 

 Now towering to the skies! 



IN the days when navies were composed 

 entirely of wooden ships, and America 

 was known as a great source of ship- 

 building materials, the white oak was one of 

 the most sought-after of all our New England 

 trees; and in spite of the great quantity of 

 virgin timber that still remained among the 

 colonies at that time, the price was unusually 

 good for individual trees whose size and shape 

 made them suitable for ship-construction. 



If all the stately white oaks which were 

 built into the sturdj^ frame of "Old Iron- 

 sides" could be accounted for, we would 

 have a list of historic trees whose adventures 

 would fill a thrilling volume. But history 



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