9 Witness Trees That Have Lived Through History

Witness trees are those considered to have been present at (and therefore would have been witness to) key historical events. Witness trees are precious; they obviously survived the experiences of the event they witnessed (which could include cannonballs, bullets or other shrapnell) but they’ve continued to dodge disease and storms and whatever else humans and nature have hurled at them for years.

Witness trees have been known to hide the bullets they’ve absorbed beneath new layers of wood and bark, and they heal other visible scars overtime. While they may look like ordinary trees, they have incredible stories to tell. Overall, they remind folks that history is hardly ancient. Looking today at these trees, we can marvel at a different kind of endurance: the ability of a tree to survive not only the fury of wars but the touching and inevitable passage of time which provides a living link to the past.

Travelers, history lovers, some park rangers, and others have embraced these exceptional trees as important living connections to our past. In 2006, Paul Dolinsky, chief of the National Park Service’s “Historic American Landscape Survey,” led the development of the Witness Tree Protection Program, a pilot project that identified an initial 24 historically and biologically significant trees in the Washington, DC area.

While the pilot program has gained some traction, the number of witness trees in the U.S. remains unknown. One reason why: some areas where witness trees may reside, like battle fields, are vast. Another reason: it can be difficult to determine a tree’s age to confirm it was alive during a significant historic event. Boring into a tree can answer that question, but it can also damage a tree so it’s not often done. In some cases, witness trees aren’t identified until they die of natural causes. In 2011, for instance, a felled oak tree with two bullets embedded in the trunk was found on Culp’s Hill in Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. Photographs or other historical records, however can confirm some witness trees (and rule out others) with relative ease.

These trees might have been young at the time they survived land-searing battles, or they might have survived traumas, disasters, diseases, and everything that nature and man threw at them even before the historical event in question. Communing with these naturally steadfast symbols of history offers a one-of-a-kind thrill. To experience it yourself, visit any of these nine important witness trees that go back to some of the most significant events in the history of the United States.

Mercer Oak at Princeton Battlefield State Park in New Jersey

Legend has it that General Hugh Mercer was laid against the original Mercer Oak when he was shot and bayoneted during the battle of Princeton. It has been immortalized in the famous painting. The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, by John Trumbal

Today, standing proudly and majestically in the Princeton Battlefield, is a descendant of the Mercer Oak, which collapsed of old age in 2000.

Lafayette Sycamore at Brandywine Battlefield State Park in Pennsylvania

Brandywine Battlefield State Park in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, has a tree named the Lafayette Sycamore. Its name comes from the now disproven myth that it marks where the Marquis de Lafayette was treated for wounds sustained in the battle. But the tree, at between 300 and 375 years old, far more than a sapling at the time of the 1777 engagement, did preside over a Hessian advance from Chadds Ford.

The War of 1812 Willow at Oak Oxen Cove Park & Oxen Hill Farm, Maryland

Oxen Cove Park & Oxen Hill Farm was once known as Mount Welby, home of British sympathizers Dr. Samuel De Butts and his family. Overlooking Washington, DC, hostilities during the War of 1812 reached Maryland (and its trees) during the Battle of Bladensburg in August 1812.

British troops ended up defeating American troops about six miles away from Mount Welby, but not without intense fighting that shook the house and the area. (The De Butts family later found 3 rockets on the property.) British troops then headed towards the capital, setting the city, including the White House, on fire.

Nowadays, the lonely oak with its thick, gnarled trunk now stands in a grassy field in Maryland, near the parking lot of the park.

Burnside Sycamore at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland

War found the Burnside Sycamore on September 17, 1862. Growing on the now-commemorated Antietam National Battlefield, this Sycamore laid its roots on the edge of a bridge over Antietam Creek.

When Union troops commandeered by General Ambrose Burnside moved to cross the bridge, they were faced with dug-in Confederates troops and Confederate reinforcements. After more than five hours of fighting and more than 600 casualties (the entire battle resulted in 22,720 casualties) the Union was able to secure the bridge.

Amid the fighting, the young sycamore beside the bridge withstood the crossfire and survived the onslaught. We know this because several days later Alexander Gardner, a notable Civil War photographer, photographed what became known as the Burnside Bridge, with the tree near the tower in the left corner of the image. The iconic photo can be seen at Antietam in front of the tree, located in the southern reaches of Antietam National Battlefield.

The Burnside Sycamore has since faced other threats, like flooding and even the bridge itself. The bridge’s foundation is probably limiting the tree’s root system yet it stands today tall and healthy.

White Oak Tree at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia

The White Oak Tree grows in a spot that was strategic for both Union and Confederate armies. This tree witnessed not only one, but two Civil War battles.

On the morning of July 21, 1861, the opening shots of the First Battle of Manassas pierced the summer air over the nearby Stone Bridge as the Union made its initial diversionary attack. When the battle ended, Union troops retreated across the bridge and through the water.

Confederate troops also retreated through here on March 9, 1862, destroying the original Stone Bridge behind them as they evacuated their winter camps.

Troops from both sides returned to the tree’s orbit during the Second Battle of Manassas in late August 1862, with the defeated Union guard destroying a makeshift replacement wooden bridge.

A photo taken by George N. Bernard (a well-known Civil War photographer) in March of 1862 captures an image of the tree and the decimated landscape, including the ruins of the bridge. White Oaks are famously long-lived and can survive up to 500 years, much longer than other species in Manassas National Battlefield Park

The White Oak stood through it all and now stands in a serene forested area (and a rebuilt Stone Bridge), a far cry from the decimated battlefield it witnessed.

Sickle Oak at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania

This Swamp White Oak on the grounds of Trostle Farm witnessed some of Gettysburg’s heaviest fighting, and its shade beckoned a notorious Civil War figure looking for a command post. Bugler Charles Reed, of the 9th Massachusetts Battery, sketched Mayor General Daniel Sickles and his men gathered under the Sickle Oak during the afternoon of July 2, 1863, not long before Sickles disobeyed direct orders and marched his men to the Peach Orchard…and disaster. During the onslaught by Confederate troops, Sickle’s men took heavy losses and he lost his right leg to a cannonball.

The Sickles Oak was at least 75 years old at the time of battle, and it’s now a big healthy tree that’s one of the most accessible at Gettysburg.

Gettysburg Address Honey Locust at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania

This humble tree earns its great place in history. It held a key vantage point during the second day of fighting on July 2, 1863, and four months later (November 19, 1863) it stood close to Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address.

Though water-loving honey locusts do not live much more than 100 years, this one is approaching 170 years on high ground in the battlefield cemetery.

Even more, it seemed doomed over a decade ago after a windstorm sheared off much of its top, Park officials worried that what remained would prove unstable and pose a safety hazard to the thousands of tourists who walk nearby each year. However, they gave it a chance. The tree proved more resilient than expected and has been re-growing its canopy, a little at a time ever since.

On July 2, 1863, during the battle, a New Hampshire volunteer battery held the ground near the honey locust. Later that evening, Union troops raced by the tree to drive back the Confederates from East Cemetery Hill. Four months later, Lincoln took his place on a wood platform near the tree, which was maybe 10 to 15 years old at the time. Its leafless branches are captured in the background of the only photo of Lincoln from the day.

Oklahoma City Survivor Tree at Oklahoma City National Memorial in Oklahoma

On April 19, 1995, when the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed by Timothy McVeigh, an American Elm in the downtown withstood the blast. Glass and metal from the explosion embedded in its bark. The hood of an exploded car landed in its crown.

Interestingly, the survivors and the family members of the 168 killed urged officials to save the 100-year-old elm instead of removing the tree to extract evidence.

Planners of the Oklahoma City National Memorial created conditions to allow the tree to recover and thrive.

Today, this Elm is nearing 150 years old and stands at a height of 40 feet. The Oklahoma Survivor Tree stands as an epitome of courage, resilience, and resolution.

September 11 Survivor Tree at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, New York

Weeks after the attacks of September 11, 2001, recovery workers at Ground Zero discovered a lone sign of life amid the rubble of the World Trade Center: a Callery pear tree (also known as a Bradford pear tree) crushed and scorched, yet somehow still alive. The New York City Parks Department transplanted an eight-foot stump of the severely damaged tree to a Bronx nursery and slowly nursed it back to health. The “Survivor Tree” was replanted at the site in 2010 and now is part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum as a symbol of survival and resilience.

Bottom Line

Witness trees are some of the last survivors of the rich historical milestones that have defined our country. Through their survival, we are reminded of the brave souls who have sacrificed everything for the future security of the nation. Witness trees stand as silent sentinels of storied landscapes and help connect people, history and places. They remain part of our nation’s cultural legacy.