Balmville Tree
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Bloomer-Dailey House and Balmville Tree
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Stump of the tree in 2015
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| Location | 83 Balmville Rd, Balmville, New York |
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| Coordinates | 41°31′57″N 74°0′43″W / 41.53250°N 74.01194°WCoordinates: 41°31′57″N 74°0′43″W / 41.53250°N 74.01194°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1750 |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 00001420 |
| Added to NRHP | December 7, 2000 |
The Balmville Tree was an old-growth eastern cottonwood growing at the intersection of River Road, Balmville Road and Commonwealth Avenue in Balmville, New York, a hamlet within the Town of Newburgh. It was the oldest tree of that species in the Eastern United States.
It was thought at first to be a Balm-of-Gilead tree, and lent that name to the surrounding community. By the late 20th century its size had led to consideration of its removal as a potential traffic hazard. The community rallied around efforts to save it, which led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 along with a neighboring house. The state took ownership of the land, making it New York's smallest state forest. However, the tree kept suffering structural problems, and it was finally cut down in 2015.
Local folklore has it that the tree grew when George Washington planted his walking stick while he and the Continental Army were encamped in nearby Newburgh during the final years of the Revolutionary War, but core samples of the tree have dated its growth to 1699, well before American independence.Franklin Roosevelt often came to visit the tree.
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Wikipedia