Big Elm / Big Elm

“Big Elm,” a tree in this community, was awarded “largest of its kind in US” in 1876 and measured over 30 feet in circumference at its base. The tree began dying by 1905, with the cause attributed to disease, the building of a streetcar line, and hogs being penned near its base. In May of 1917, the last remaining part of the tree was cut down and burned. The community was named for the tree, which stood as the largest of its kind in the US. The land was acquired by David Wamsley shortly after the Revolution, and other owners of the Big Elm Farm were the Everson and Hood families. Daughter of the Elm, a novel written by Granville Davisson Hall about alleged events that took place here, was published in 1899.

Shinnston, West Virginia · United States