Piece of Elm Tree in Cambridge, MA Under Which George Washington Took Command of the American Army July 3, 1775. 2½ x 5¾ x ¾" piece of wood with a brass plaque attached with the foregoing information and "Presented by The City of Cambridge 1924." The tree was blown over by a storm in 1923, or, by some accounts, was accidentally pulled over by a city worker. In any event, in 1924, the city of Cambridge cut the tree into rectangular pieces and presented them to prominent people. Washington travelled from Philadelphia to Cambridge to take command of the inexperienced and poorly-equipped Continental Army, composed of some 17,000 men, having been appointed by the Continental Congress two weeks earlier.
Estimated Value $500 - 750.
The Claude Harkins Collection of Washingtonia
