THE BOXFORD ELM 



spent many a happy day beneath this same 

 tree, both before and after he became famous. 

 The sapHng elm gradually developed into 

 a great tree — one of the greatest in Massa- 

 chusetts. It has, at the present time, a 

 circumference at breast height of fourteen 

 feet, four and a half inches; a height of 

 seventy feet, and a spread of one hundred 

 feet. At about ten or twelve feet from the 

 ground the trunk divides into five large 

 branches which in turn subdivide to form 

 a broad crown, overtopping the old colonial 

 residence, and lending its charm to the whole 

 country-side.^ 



' The authority for the historic facts contained in this chap- 

 ter is Mr. Sidney Perley who has written several books on the 

 town of Boxford, among which are: "History of Boxford," 

 "Indian Land Titles of Essex County," and "Dwellings of 

 Boxford." 



[:633 



