The Basking Ridge white oak (also known as the Holy Oak) was a white oak tree that stood in the churchyard of the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.Barron, James. "A 600-Year-Old Oak Tree Finally Succumbs", The New York Times, October 16, 2016. Accessed February 22, 2017. The tree was over 600 years old and died in 2016, before being cut down in 2017. (video story) It stood at tall, and may have been the oldest white oak in the world.Hickey, Magee. "Basking Ridge rallies behind 600-year-old white oak tree", WPIX, June 29, 2016. Accessed July 2, 2016.
History The Basking Ridge white oak was located in the historical graveyard of the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge. English evangelist George Whitfield and American clergyman James Davenport preached under it on November 5, 1740 to a crowd of 3,000 during the First Great Awakening. with George Washington's troops were drilled on the village green, within view, and Washington picnicked under the tree with Lafayette. The 5,500 French troops under General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur marched by in 1781 on their route to Yorktown, Virginia and the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Description
The Holy Oak was 619 years old when it died in 2016. It stood at a height of and had a trunk circumference of . Its spread was over . In its final years, its lower branches were supported by metal bars.A Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge Village , The Historic Society of the Somerset Hills. Accessed July 2, 2016. "Over the tombstones broods the ancient White Oak (Quercus alba), more than 600 years old. It stands tall at 97', with a spread of 156' and a circumference of 18'."
Death and cutting down
In June 2016, the tree was "failing to thrive" and showed signs of distress as its upper parts failed to sprout leaves. By September 2016, the tree had died. It was cut down over a three-day period, with the work finished on April 26, 2017. A young white oak grown from an acorn of the old tree was planted in the churchyard.
The current biggest tree in New Jersey is identified as another white oak in the yard of the Sparta Historical Association of Sparta.
See also List of individual trees
References
External links
Bernards Township