A quick bit of history. In 1758 (before the Revolutionary War) a tree was planted by a young John Smith, the 12-year-old son of one of Wethersfield’s early settlers, farmer James T. Smith. John was sent out to bring in the cows and needing a stick, he pulled up a sapling which had sprouted up in a muddy bottom. After driving the cows home, he planted the small tree in front of his family’s home on Broad Street (today near the corner of Broad and Elm Street) on the Wethersfield Green.
That sapling grew to be officially the largest Elm tree in America! The Great Elm!
Great was an understatement. The diameter of the tree at ground level was 14’6” (the average length of a minivan is 16 feet!) The circumference was 48 feet! And it was reported to be 97 feet tall with a 165-foot canopy. People came together to marvel at this amazing display of nature.
Coming together is the root of the Great Elm website. To bring you, your family, and friends closer to the things that are important to you here in Wethersfield. How you Live, Work and Play!
