Wye Oak State Park
The Wye Oak State Park is located on the State Route 662 in Wye Mills in Talbot County of the US state of Maryland . In the 11.7 hectare state park was the eponymous Wye Oak , which was destroyed on June 6, 2002 by a thunderstorm.
The Wye Oak was the largest specimen of an American white oak in the USA. The 460 year old tree had a trunk circumference of 9.65 m, a height of 29.26 m and a crown diameter of 36 m. Since the 1940s, more than 90 m of steel cables have been used for stabilization. In 1941 the tree was named the State Tree of Maryland and was the first single tree that a state had purchased from private individuals for protection.
The state park was established in 1939 and still contains a historic brick building. It housed a school with only one classroom. This second oldest school building in Talbot County was restored by the Queen Anne Garden Club . A new sapling of an American white oak was planted in the place of the former tree .
Web links
- Official website of Wye Oak State Park at DNR
- Historical photos page
- Obituary on the tree
- maryland.gov, Forest Service: The Quiet Giant, The Wye Oak
Coordinates: 38 ° 56 '8.8 " N , 76 ° 5' 33" W.