Historical Name: Basking Ridge
Common Name: White Oak
Latin Name: Quercus alba
In 1717 Scottish settlers built a log cabin chapel behind a large White Oak in Basking Ridge, NJ. The Presbyterian congregation thrived, as did the tree. A churchyard developed under its boughs and an elegant church was built next to it, replacing the simple chapel. The church is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1775 colonial soldiers drilled at the parsonage and around the church, and George Washington is said to have rested beneath the tree with his troops as they made their way from Morristown to points south. On one visit Washington established a smallpox hospital nearby in town. Local residents were actively involved in the Revolution, and 35 Revolutionary War veterans are buried in the churchyard. Over the centuries the tree was carefully maintained as a living symbol connecting worshippers to the area’s earliest settlers. With a height of 97 feet, a branch spread of 156 feet, and a trunk circumference exceeding 20 feet the tree was a prominent feature of the town and probably the most majestic tree in our state. Its age was estimated to be about 600 years.
In the early 2000’s the tree slipped into a state of decline, and died in 2016. In April 2017 an 18 foot tall offspring of the tree was donated and transplanted from UCNJ’s Historic Tree Grove to the grounds of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. There it will continue the legacy of its parent. The offspring was one of many germinated from acorns collected in 2001 and grown at UCNJ. A sibling offspring, grown in the College’s plant nursery, was transplanted into the Grove in April 2018, into the exact location where its donated sibling once grew.
The wood from the original tree was not wasted. A well-known furniture company in Hillside, NJ will turn it into quality furniture and other items. The company’s woodworkers were able to count the annual rings in a section of the tree’s trunk. They determined that the tree started its life in 1398, and stood for 619 years. In addition, as the tree’s wood was being milled, an ancient lead musket shot was found embedded within the trunk. Under what circumstances it ended up in the tree’s trunk will never be known. If it could speak it might have an interesting story to tell.