Tagged: john brown house

A historic tree on the grounds of the John Brown House in Providence was cut down Monday.  

Early in the morning a tree crew armed with a chain saw lopped off the top third of the 108-year-old elm. A crane carefully lowered the piece to the ground.  The American elm on the grounds of the John Brown House fell victim to a fatal canker, according to Rhode Island Historical Society grounds keeper Ed Desjarlais.

A beloved, ailing Dutch Elm on the John Brown House Museum grounds has received a last minute pardon from city forester Doug Still. Rhode Island Historical Society executive director Morgan Grefe says Still has ordered some additional tests that may confirm the tree is not suffering from Dutch Elm disease.

“Doug had been out several times to look at the elm and, while he recognizes that it is not well, he is hopeful that it is not Dutch Elm disease," says Grefe.