1944 Preface

When published in 1933, the demand for this little book was immediate and the editon was soon exhausted. In this the tercentenary year of the birth of William Penn, it seems appropriate that we should retell the story of our great trees which have spanned the gap between his time and ours.

Preface

In the following pages these oldest trees are listed, not by counties and townships, but as they are to be seen along our principal highways, and by easy detours from these. It was felt that they would thus be made most readily accessible to the great tree-loving public. Thoughtful people through decades to come will delight to do honor to William Penn by making pilgrimages repeatedly to these staunch and venerable trees. They can well be considered living monuments to his daring program of social co-operation in civil and religious liberty carefully planned for in his "holy experiment" in government here.

Introduction

It is a commonplace that the love of trees is inherent in man. Wherever there exists a spark of interest in nature and nature's ways the sight of a noble tree in all its dignity and strength arouses a thrill in the observer. In Ossian's "Address to the "Sun" he declared that "Age is dark and unlovely" but this is not true of an ancient tree, still in the glory of its rugged srength and usefulness. Age then is glorious and well worth while.

Charles F Jenkins

Chairman Executive Committee for the William Penn Commemoration, 1932.

Chapter 1

Sons and daughters of Pennsylvania, "West Jersey," and Delaware, whether of Indian, Dutch, Swedish, or British blood are turning their thoughts back this year to those Indian summer days of 1682.