The Salem Oak was a white oak tree at the Salem Friends Burial Ground in Salem, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[1][2] Estimated to be more than 500 years old, the Salem Oak was a landmark tree under whose branches Salem’s founder John Fenwick is said to have first met with local Lenape tribe of Native Americans in 1675.[3] Fenwick (1618–1683) was the leader of a group of Quakers who emigrated in 1675 from England to Salem, New Jersey, where they established Fenwick's Colony, the first English settlement in West Jersey.[4]
Measuring 22 ft (6.7 m) in circumference and estimated at between 500 and 600 years old, the tree did not sustain any damage from the Hurricane Sandy in October 2012,[5] but collapsed in 2019.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "White Oak 'The Salem Oak' at the cemetery of the Salem friends in Salem, New Jersey, United States". www.monumentaltrees.com.
- ^ "Salem Friends Meeting House – Salem, New Jersey - Quaker Meeting Houses on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
- ^ "Salem Oak". Woodstown Monthly Meeting of Friends. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ Waddington, Jessica (2019-07-04). "An obituary for the late, great 600-year-old Salem Oak Tree of Salem, New Jersey". The Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ Franklin, Chris (November 21, 2019). "Cherished Salem oak tree will live on. Every N.J. town to get seedlings to plant". nj.
- ^ Attributed to multiple sources:
- Waddington, Jessica (July 4, 2019). "An obituary for the late, great 600-year-old Salem Oak Tree of Salem, New Jersey". The Inquirer.
- Tanenbaum, Michael (June 7, 2019). "Historic Salem Oak Tree falls after 600 years in South Jersey". PhillyVoice.
- Gallo, Bill Jr. (September 29, 2016). "Salem Oak largest tree of its kind in N.J." nj.
- Salo, Jackie (June 7, 2019). "New Jersey's Salem Oak Tree dies at nearly 600 years old". New York Post.