- 1872 – Arbor Day was started by Sterling Morton, a Nebraska pioneer and newspaper editor who advocated the benefits of planting trees and encouraged civic organizations to join in. The idea became a popular yearly tradition.
- 1885 – It was made a legal holiday in the state of Nebraska.
- 1891 – Miss Susie Emerson was the High School principal at Centre School which was located where the Chelmsford Public Garden is today. She collected contributions from about 59 students and purchased a purple beech tree sapling from Edwin Warren on Boston Road for planting on Friday, May 1st.
The image below was cropped to highlight the sapling.
Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.13003 (colorized)
Miss Emerson’s high school students went outside to plant the tree and then posed while Susie’s brother, professional photographer Arthur Emerson, recorded the moment with his large format view camera. It’s interesting that of the 31 students in that photo, four of the boys later married four of the girls.
Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.13003
Miss Frances Clark, the Primary school teacher, suggested that it was a nice day, and it would be more fun if all the students went outside, so the Grammar, Intermediate, and Primary classes were let out to join the High School group. Another photograph was taken with all 118 students. Smiling wasn’t a tradition then as it is today in part because they had to hold still for the long exposure required by the glass plate technology of the day.
Historical Society glass negative 2009.9.13001
- 1892 – Arbor Day had been adopted by all states except Delaware, and many schools and other organizations carried out tree planting projects.
The purple Beech tree was the most prominent feature on Center Common for well over a century as seen here in 2003.
- 2012 – Sadly, dead branches became a hazard, and the tree had to be taken down on November 29.
