The fate of the Wye Oak on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was inevitable due to its venerable age and gradual decline. By the end of the twentieth century its massive core was hollow. The high winds of June 6, 2002, finally toppled the famous giant. From 1939 it was the centerpiece of the Wye Oak State Park, four acres which protected the tree's nearly half acre spread. Recent measurements placed the Wye Oak at over 31 feet around and 96 feet tall. On right : Wye Mills Oak, near Wye Mills, Talbot County, Maryland, on concrete road about 9 miles from Easton, Maryland. According to the tablet at root of tree, the Wye Oak was 375 years old in 1921. DBH 6 ½ feet; horizontal spread of branches, 140 ½ feet; height, 88 feet; largest limb, diameter 2 ½ feet. 1937. Negative #356086.

Maryland Wye Mills Oak. September 1929. Negative #240497.

The Wye Oak predated the European settlement of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The oldest white oak in the United States stood for more than 450 years near Easton, MD. In the village of Wye Mills the oak was a noted landmark in the 1800's, but not one that was given any particular protection. Local residents and travelers along the road from Oxford, MD on the Chesapeake Bay to Philadelphia, PA supposedly tied their horses under the tree. One explanation for the gnarled roots and "knees" at the tree's base was scarring caused by the pawing of the animals' hooves.

National attention was drawn to the Oak when it was featured in American Forester in 1919. In his article, H. S. Clopper recounted an interesting story about the famous tree. The lowest, and largest, of the tree's branches was trimmed in the nineteenth century to keep the road that passed under it clear. The scar from this huge limb can clearly be seen in twentieth century photographs of the Oak. A pool of water, thought to be from a small spring, was found at the base of the tree. When the tree was trimmed, it was discovered that this "spring" was actually created by rainwater collected on the leaves and running down the bark of the Oak. Thus the Oak had created is own reservoir, which watered it even in the driest times. The shade and the "spring" probably made it an attractive place for travelers and locals to stop to rest in the village of Wye Mills.

Trunk of Wye Mills Oak, with tablet: W. A. Dayton, son and daughter (Orlo and Elva Dayton) standing by trunk. 1937. Negative #356087.

By 1921, the Oak had become something of a tourist attraction, with its own descriptive plaque. It was in private hands from an initial land grant in 1665 until 1939 when recognition of the unique status of the tree led the State of Maryland to purchase the few acres around it to create the Wye Oak State Park .

The Maryland state tree is the white oak and the Wye Oak was the honorary state tree. Until its destruction by a violent thunderstorm on June 6, 2002, the Oak was one of two remaining National Champion Trees from the American Forestry Association's original 1940 selection.

Its historical and horticultural importance was underscored by the successful efforts of Dr. Frank Gouin, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture, University of Maryland to clone the Oak. Not only was its age and size notable in themselves, but the tree demonstrated an unusual resistence to oak wilt fungus and gypsy moths. The replication of the Oak's genes by grafting buds from the tree onto seedlings from its own acorns perpetuates those characteristics as well. Two of these Wye Oak clones were planted at Mt. Vernon on April 26, 2002. Just in time. Prior to the success of Dr. Gouin's efforts to clone the Wye Oak, seedlings from the Oak's acorns were planted in other locations.

The featured photographs are from the " U.S. Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection." This collection was founded by Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the USDA Division of Forestry (U.S. Forest Service). Pinchot, a noted conservationist, required his foresters to provide photographs to document their reports from the field. In addition, he donated his personal collection of forestry related photographs to establish this collection. The collection was transferred to the Still Pictures Records LICON, Special Media Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration II in Spring 2004.

For more information about the "U.S. Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection," please contact Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives and Records Administration II, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Phone:301-837-3530, Fax: 301-837-3621, Email: stillpix@nara.gov

Bibliography U.S. Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection . Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives and Records Administration II. Cho, David. "A Sapling With Lofty Ambitions: Clone of Wye Oak Begins Life Anew." Washington Post April 27, 2002. Clopper, H.S. "The 'Wye Mills Oak'." American Forestry 25, no. 311 (November, 1919): 1482-1483. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service. "The Quiet Giant, The Wye Oak." Accessed June 7, 2002 from www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/trees/giant.html . Maryland State Forest and Park Service. "Wye Oak State Park." Accessed June 7, 2002 from www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/wyeoak.html . Maryland Office of the Secretary of State. "White Oak, Maryland State Tree. " Accessed May 24, 2007 from http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/symbols/html/tree.html. The Earth Restoration and Reforestation Alliance. "National Champion White Oak." Accessed June 7, 2002 from www.championtrees.org/champions/oakwhite.htm . Mount Vernon Ladies Associations. "Photo of Wye Oak for Arbor Day Planting." Reeves, Tracey A. and Hamil R. Harris. "Storms Down Md. Wye Oak, Power Lines Lightning, Live Wires Set Some Homes on Fire." Washington Post , June 7, 2002.

Maryland "Wye" Oak - 140 feet spread - 89 feet high - (Wye Mills). Photograph taken by W. R. Mattoon - 1921. Negative #157576.