333 
PARK AND CRMRTERY 
Historic Trees of WasKing^ton 
J the parks and gardens 
of numerous European 
and Asiatic cities there 
are many memorial 
trees which are highly 
venerated and around 
which cluster traditions 
and hallowed memor- 
ies of antiquity, says 
the Washington Star. 
But in the cities of the 
United States, as a 
rule, there are com- 
paratively few trees of 
well-known historic significance, and public interest 
seemingly has not yet been thoroughly awakened to 
this very desirable means of keeping green the memory 
of distinguished men. 
Washington is one of the exceptions, however, and 
its public parks and gardens contain many specimens 
of trees which are notable because of the historic in- 
terest attached to them. 
Mr. George H. Brown, landscape gardener, under the 
direction of Col. Charles S. Bromwell, in charge of 
public buildings and grounds, has made a special effort 
to ascertain the location of all the memorial trees in the 
city and to compile the historic data relating to them. 
A number of these monuments of nature according to 
Mr. Brown, are found in the grounds surrounding the 
White House. One of the most notable memorial 
trees in the White House grounds is a stately American 
elm, which was planted by John Quincy Adams, sixth 
President of the United States, during his incumbency 
of that office. This fine tree is located on a mound 
southeast of the White House and it stands a conspicu- 
ous object towering above the surrounding plantings of 
a later date in the grounds. 
Another American elm growing near the west en- 
trance of the north roadway approach to the White 
House was planted by President Hayes in March, 1878, ; 
and a sweet gum tree in the lawn northeast of the Ex- j 
ecutive Mansion was planted by President Benjamin 
Harrison in April, 1892. President McKinley planted J 
a scarlet oak in the lawn west of the White House, \ 
bordering the walk which now leads to the executive f 
office, and President Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt each [ 
planted a fine specimen of fern-leaved beech in the 
White House lawns, as memorials to Washington. 
A Russo-American oak, planted April 6, 1904, in the 1 
lawn east of the west terrace of the White House by | 
President Roosevelt and Secretaries Hitchcock and f 
f 
Wilson, has an interesting history. This tree is a lineal I 
descendant of a native American oak which formerly 1 
grew above and overshadowed the old tomb of Wash- 
ington at Mt. Vernon. Acorns from this oak were sent f 
by Charles Sumner, while he was a senator of the [ 
United States, to the Czar of Russia. Secretary Hitch- | 
cock, while ambassador at the court of St. Petersburg, | 
made inquiry with respect to the disposition of the | 
acorns sent by Sumner to the czar and found that they j 
had been planted on what is know as Czarina Island, 
which is included in the superb surroundings of one of 
the czar’s palaces near Peterhof. There he found a 
beautiful oak with a tablet at its base bearing a Rus- 
sian inscription, the translation of which is as follows : 
“The acorn planted here was taken from an oak I 
which shades the tomb of the celebrated and never to 
be forgotten Washington ; is presented to his imperial 
majesty, the emperor of all the Russians, as a sign of 
the greatest respect, by an American.” 
Secretary Hitchcock gathered a handful of acorns 
from under this historic tree and sent them to Wash- 
ington for planting and thus secured a few oak sap- 
lings, one of which was set out in the White House 
lawn. 
A beautiful specimen of the oriental plane tree, orig-^ 
inally planted in 1862 in the Botanic Garden by direc-; 
tion of the late Thaddeus Stevens, now forms one ofk 
