Hangman's Elm
Hangman's Elm , or simply "The Hanging Tree," is an English elm tree located on the northwest corner of Washington Square Park in New York City . It is 110 feet (33 m) tall and 56 inches (1.42 m) in diameter.
In 1989 the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation determined the age of the English elm at 310 years, making it the oldest known tree in Manhattan . The elm has outlived the other historic trees: the Peter Stuyvesant pear tree on the northeast corner of 13th Street and Third Avenues and the large tulip tree near Shorakapkok on Washington Heights .
Whether or not hangings really took place at this place , as the name suggests based on tradition, is still up for discussion. Legend has it that traitors were hanged here during the American Revolutionary War . The Marquis de Lafayette is said to have witnessed the festive hanging of 20 muggers here in 1824. Rose Butler , hanged here in 1820, was the last person in New York State to be hanged for arson . The notorious branch on which the hangings are said to have been carried out was removed by the park administration in 1992.
However, other historians, including Luther S. Harris , author of Around Washington Square: An Illustrated History of Greenwich Village , believe that the name is a misnomer and that no hangings have taken place on the tree. Public executions were carried out on the gallows on site, which has created confusion.
Web links
- English Elm or 'Hangman's Tree' at Northwest Corner - Southeast View
- Google Answers
- Manhattan Users Guide
- Hangman's Tree Deserves New Name and More Help
Coordinates: 40 ° 43 ′ 55 " N , 73 ° 59 ′ 55" W.