George Washington Tree, Charlotte
The George Washington Tree marker is a bronze plaque attached to a rough hewn granite panel standing several feet high on a concrete base. The Spinning Wheel symbol of the Daughters of the American Revolution separates the inscriptions. The oak tree stands a short distance away.
The tree was planted on December 10, 1925. News reports indicate a different bronze plaque than the one now present. That inscription read: MEMORIAL TREE. GEORGE WASHINGTON’S JOURNEY THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA 1791. MARKED BY THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 1925.
Images (photo courtesy waymarking.com): George Washington Tree with the marker
THIS OAK TREE WAS PLANTED / IN HONOR OF THE VISIT OF / GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON / TO CHARLOTTE, N.C., MAY 1791 / BY THE NORTH CAROLINA D.A.R., 1925
THIS TABLET WAS PLACED IN HONOR / OF THE BI-CENTENNIAL BIRTH OF / GEORGE WASHINGTON / BY THE FIVE D.A.R. CHAPTERS, / CHARLOTTE, N.C., 1932
City of Charlotte
Tree dedication: December 10, 1925. Plaque dedication: March 23, 1933
35.229450 , -80.843310
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“D.A.R. Meeting Closes With Election,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), March 23, 1933
“George Washington Oak,” Waymarking.com, (accessed January 16, 2024) Link
“Old Settler’s Cemetery (ca. 1768), City of Charlotte, charlottenc.gov, (accessed January 6, 2024) Link
“To Unveil Washington Tablet,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), December 5, 1925
“Visit of General George Washington,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed January 6, 2024) Link
“Visit of George Washington to Charlotte Commemorated,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), December 11, 1925
Yes
Granite, bronze
Daughters of the American Revolution
The tree was a gift of Mrs. W.N. Reynolds, of Winston Salem, state chair of the D.A.R.
The same day as the George Washington Tree was planted a memorial identical to George Washington Plaque, Salisbury was dedicated nearby on W. Trade Street at the site of Cook’s Inn where Washington was lodged. It would have been one of nine placed by the D.A.R. across North Carolina in 1925. Like the original plaque for the tree, the tour memorial is no longer present. A small bronze plaque in the sidewalk now marks the spot of Cook’s Inn (see Charlotte Liberty Walk Liberty Walk.)
The tree and marker are located in the Old Settler’s Cemetery in downtown Charlotte. The street address is 200 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC.
The cemetery now serves as a green space nestled between churches and skyscrapers.
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