History: Medford Trees through the Ages
Author: Rebeca Bechdach | A special thank you Medford historian Dee Morris for providing the information and pictures below.
In considering the planting of new trees today, it is important to reflect on the relationship citizens of Medford have had with trees in the past. Previous efforts to preserve trees display their importance in the eyes of our forerunners, and the events surrounding trees makes them long-lasting reminders of our country’s beginnings. Below is a brief recount of various historical events relating to trees in Medford, leading up to the present day.
Reverend Charles Brooks, professor of Natural History at the University of the City of New York and co-author of an early history of the City of Medford in the 19th century, said that the citizens of Medford had “a commendable pride in everything that could be made to contribute to its beauty and prosperity, and in nothing has this been seen more strikingly than in their work in planting and caring for shade trees.”
Black Walnut on the Brook’s Estate.
Brooks himself had many trees on his estate, including the Black Walnut pictured to the right, planted in 1721 for the marriage of Samuel Brooks. The estate, located off Grove Street in West Medford, was deeded to the city in the mid-1920s as a park. The photographs of the Brooks Estate below give us a view of the trees that existed in Brooks’ day.
Unfortunately, in 1926 sparks from a passing train started a grass fire that damaged the interior of the old, partly rotted black walnut. Although citizens pushed for the tree to be saved, the railroad fire--in addition to lightning and ice storms--battered the tree to the extent that it had to be cut down. Living shoots from a branch of the Black Walnut were saved with the intention of grafting them, and it was noted in a local publication that around a dozen people went to the site seeking information about the tree to record its history in writing. See more photos of the Brooks Estate trees below:
The Fountain House
Not only have trees been appreciated and cared for in Medford’s recent history, they have also served as the backdrop for American history. One example took place at the Fountain House Tavern, constructed as early as 1725 and located on Salem street and its modern day intersection with Route 93. It was Medford’s first outdoor cafe, and the site of two large elms. George Washington supposedly tied his horse to one of these elms.
Trees also make an appearance in stories relating to Paul Revere. On April 19, 1775, P. C. Brooks heard about Paul Revere’s warning while standing under the edge of a hickory tree. Another Medford tree, the Usher Elm, was once located on High Street near the Paul Revere Restaurant. It is believed that Paul Revere rode under this tree, giving it historical meaning in addition to the natural beauty it offered citizens of Medford. The tree became a shrine of sorts for the city, leading to public outcry when it was announced that the tree would be cut down. In 1890 protesters attempted to save the tree, posting placards against the destruction of the tree on its trunk and all over the community.
Frank W. Lovering wrote of the event, noting that the roots of the tree “hindered laying the rails for the first horse-car line to West Medford.” Lovering further wrote: “It must go, the highway commissioner said with determination, and as a resolution said, it went with ‘a suspicious secrecy’.”
In addition to advocating for existing trees, members of the community also contributed to the planting of trees and securing land for them. Turrell Tufts, a merchant, set out trees on Forest Street and left a $500 legacy for more plantings in 1842.
Forest St. Trees
Additionally, the MIddlesex Fells were saved as a state reservation in 1894, largely due to advocacy from Elizur Wright, a conservationist. Public sentiment towards the Fells at the time is encompassed in the words of naturalist Wilson Flagg in 1881: “What we desire is to make the Middlesex Fells a grand Forest Sanctuary to which 50,000 people residing within a circumference of 6 miles around it may resort for pleasure, observation and study, for healthful exercise, and for rational and quiet amusement.” Fells Reservation map (right) and visitors to the Fells (below):
By the 1920’s cars had become widely available, altering the way we interacted with trees. The construction of roads and private garages meant that more trees had to be cut down.
Trees also became a nuisance for drivers in that their fallen branches obstructed roads. In the early days of automobiles in Medford, local news publications reported that severe wind had knocked over several 60 foot trees on High Street, stopping traffic for an hour.
Tree on Allston St.
Soon after in the 1930’s came the Great Depression, a severe, world-wide economic disintegration that led to high unemployment rates in the U.S. As part of the New Deal, the Roosevelt administration created the CWA (Civil Works Administration), a short-lived job creation program. The new employment opportunities created by the CWA included forest jobs. Workers in these positions were paid to carry out logging, resulting in more trees being cut down than had been seen before in Medford. The conflict between the citizens who wanted to protect these trees and those that wanted to keep men employed is described in the article above on the left. On the right is a telegraph from citizens of Medford thanking President Roosevelt for the new employment opportunities.
Now in the present day, the struggle between preserving trees and urban development carries on. Medford community members continue to support the maintenance of trees with volunteer planting events and less conventional approaches, like patching up a tree on Allston Street with bricks.
On the other hand, trees that were not purposefully planted to accommodate man-made structures around them have to be cut or taken down. As an example, the trees pictured below on Frederick Avenue, Stearns Avenue, and Lawrence Road have had large portions cut away to avoid the obstruction of power lines. Looking to the future, it will be important to keep surroundings and space availability in mind when planting new trees, a concept referred to as “right tree, right place”.
Now that we have gone through a few bits of Medford tree history, let us look to the future. Just as Medford community members tried to balance their needs with the importance of maintaining trees, so should we work to preserve our natural spaces for generations to come. As Elizur Wright wrote in 1891, “Keeping up a fit proportion of forests to arable land is the prime condition of human health. If the trees go, men must decay. Whosoever works for the forests works for the happiness and permanence of our civilization. A tree may be an obstruction, but it is never useless. Now is the time to work if we are to be blessed and not cursed by the people of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The nation that neglects its forests is surely destined to ruin.”
About the Author: Rebeca is a Tufts University student majoring in psychology and environmental science, and a Mystic River Watershed Association intern.