Then ...
The Mullikan White Oak, located on a knoll to the northwest of the intersection of Waltham Street and Winthrop Road, is one of Lexington’s most distinguished trees, noted by tree-lovers for at least 200 years. It is on private grounds, so Lexingtonians may not know about the history of this grand old Oak. It first came to my attention in a 1956 tree survey by William Roger Greeley. This survey was an update of an older list compiled by David Doran. An early 1896 photograph showed the growth typical of a White Oak when there is no other arboreal competition. A Greeley photograph taken sixty years later showed much more lateral growth than vertical. Sometime in the 1950’s or 60’s lightning hit the top of the trunk, resulting in a vertical crease extending to the trunk to flare. The Oak is significant in at least two ways: it has extensive recorded history and it has had the good fortune to be cared for by the early farmers who built on the property. The Mullikans were prominent dairy farmers who built their farmhouse in 1857. Generations of Mullikans and others gathered under the oak for celebrations. The 1896 photograph shows 67 people in its
shade.
shade.
Now ...
For over 30 years I have been recording the girth of Lexington’s trees including some of the very old ones. Many are on public streets while some are on private grounds. The former are registered by the Tree Committee and are part of the official Tree Inventory compiled in the
last six years. In 1972, when I first took a slide photo of the Mullikan
Oak, the girth of the tree was 15’ 6”. In 2008, thirty seven years later,
the girth was 17’ 6”, an expansion of two feet in 37 years. Oak growth
is very slow, unlike English Beech, such as the one in front of the
Visitors’ Center. The Waltham Street Oak was probably growing before Paul Revere took his famous ride.
last six years. In 1972, when I first took a slide photo of the Mullikan
Oak, the girth of the tree was 15’ 6”. In 2008, thirty seven years later,
the girth was 17’ 6”, an expansion of two feet in 37 years. Oak growth
is very slow, unlike English Beech, such as the one in front of the
Visitors’ Center. The Waltham Street Oak was probably growing before Paul Revere took his famous ride.
