Mount Olivet Cemetery Tree Walk

Map of the tree walk

 1854 Cemetery Opening

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1854 Cemetery Opening

Welcome to Mount Olivet Cemetery, opened in May, 1854 as a direct result of a growing town population. Local religious congregations needed a solution to serve additional parishioners while also accommodating the burial of the dead. The church graveyards of downtown Frederick were filled to capacity, just one century after Frederick’s founding in 1745. At the same time, churches wanting to expand their structures found themselves "land-locked" due to graves abutting, or encircling, their main buildings. In 1852, a committee was formed and included prominent member-representatives from seven congregations in town. These individuals were charged with finding a solution to the burial space dilemma. It was decided that a new, non-denominational cemetery would be developed to fulfill the needs of an ever-growing Frederick. 

Puritan Repentance

This was at the height of the "garden cemetery” movement, a new approach which began in the large cities of the northeast. Herein, the philosophy toward death was re-examined, and many suggested a departure from “Puritan repentance for salvation” to a softer, re-communing with nature at life’s end. New designs employed the “rural” or "garden cemetery” design, which promoted larger, park-like spaces on the outskirts of town. These cemeteries were planned as public spaces from their inception, providing places for all citizens to enjoy refined outdoor recreation amidst art, sculpture and nature. Elaborate gardens were planted, and family outings to the cemetery became popular social activities. Here, one could find tree-lined avenues, water features, exotic plantings (like palms and ferns) that could be wintered in greenhouses, and the depiction of flowers and flora on marble gravestones—all signature characteristics of the Victorian Age (1837-1901).

Garden Cemetery

Of course, Mount Olivet had many more trees back in its earlier days. The original saplings grew into beautiful, large specimens that can be seen in several photographs taken at the turn of the 19th century into 20th. As one can imagine, graveyards do not provide the best opportunities for root systems to expand freely, and tree replacement is not a straightforward task. Trees are lost to old-age, disease and weather events. Cemetery management has to be proactive with trimming and removal, as necessary, in order to safeguard thousands of monuments, not to mention cemetery visitors. By bringing attention and awareness to the trees on our grounds, our hope is to work towards strategic fundraising and planting of more trees here with the goal of keeping this historic “garden cemetery” true to its roots as a place of beauty and peace. 

Francis Scott Key

No town loves the faithful “red, white and blue” more than Frederick, Maryland. In fact, two former Frederick residents would become known nationally (and internationally) thanks to literary connections to the flag in song and prose. One such is Francis Scott Key (1779-1843), and the other is Barbara Fritchie (1766-1862). Both are buried here in Mount Olivet under impressive monuments with nearby flags flying overhead.


Mt Olivet Gate (1909)

As one of the heroes of the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key resides under the ornate memorial monument in front of you. He was not a high-ranking officer, but a marginal soldier at best. However, whilst a political prisoner held on board a ship of truce in Baltimore Harbor, the Frederick native, and Georgetown attorney, put pen to paper “at the dawn’s early light.”This was done while seeing the US flag still flying atop war-torn Fort McHenry on September 14th, 1814. Key’s four stanzas of verse would eventually take the name “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and become our country’s national anthem in 1931 by an act of Congress. Francis Scott Key and his wife, Mary, are buried in a vault located below this monument constructed and unveiled in 1898.

Additional photos

Littleleaf Linden Story

Entering this beautifully landscaped garden-cemetery, you are greeted by a large gorgeous tree standing sentinel just East of the entry gate. This tree is a runner up to the county champion little leaf linden (Tilia Cordata). Linden trees have always been a favorite for landscaping since they don't drop huge leaves like a sycamore or sticky fruit like a Mulberry. Instead, it provides year round beauty with its strong upward turned limbs, dark grooved bark, cute little samara seeds (better known as helicopters among the children), and heart shaped leaves that always seem to be fluttering in the breeze due to their small size. 

In addition to landscapers and humans, this tree is also a favorite for wildlife. Maybe this is why it is sometimes called “the giving tree.” Other times it receives the name of  “bee tree” since it evolved uniquely in symbiosis with a tiny aphid that will chomp its way through the leaves and dispose of a sticky liquid called ‘honeydew.’ This gooey dew is a favorite energy shake for several types of bees. In early spring, you will hear the hum of the insects as they delight, not only in the nectar of the tiny cream colored flowers, but also in the unique honeydew protein shake provided only by the linden tree and its aphid. Lightning bugs also love slowly rising in this tree and this is the key larval plant for the red-spotted cloak butterflies.  Birds, squirrels, rabbits, and voles  -and many humans- enjoy its samara seeds. Due to its large amount of foliage it can produce a very deep shade when fully grown; due to this and its bee-attracting capabilities, they are traditionally planted on the windward side of orchards to help break the wind and help attract insect pollinators.

The oldest linden tree is the Najevnik linden tree. It lives on in Slovenia and is said to be over 700 years old! Several other linden trees that were left alone also have been marked as over 500 years of age. Linden trees are often referred to in music and prose for their emblematic rounded canopy, impressive height of up to 130 feet, thick shade and beauty. What many people do not know is that everything on the Linden tree is edible: the leaves make a nice salad (especially when  they’re still relatively new) with just a touch of vinaigrette. For hundreds of years, people have also used parts of the linden tree, including the leaves, flowers, wood, and bark for food and medicinal purposes, be it as a calming agent or as a sedative. Hence the Linden Flower or “tilia tea”  which is effective and gentle enough even for infants to calm stomachs and help bring on sleep. 

North America: The most typical Linden tree in North America is the Basswood (Tilia Americana)- it looks very much like the European Linden but is a bit smaller in stature and has much larger leaves. The American Linden is also a useful large shade tree in the Malvaceae (mallow) family that is found in all areas of North Carolina. It is native to eastern North America but found especially in the mountains where it is a common and valuable timber tree. Since its wood is relatively soft, it is often used for pulp, paper, and whittling. The cambium of this tree is very fibrous and strong  -also known as Bast (hence ‘basswood’) - and was therefore used by indigenous people to the Americas to make ropes, cordages, textiles and mats. The Ojibwe for example used it to tie together their wigwams.

Mythology: The sweet smelling linden tree with its heart-shaped leaves is associated with Freya, the Norse Goddess of truth, love, battle, fertility, and death (yes, she’s the main goddess). It was believed that you could not tell a lie under the linden tree. In Greece and Eastern Europe, the linden tree was used in numerous rituals, including divination, marriage, fertility, and healing. In Romania, and other Slavic countries, the linden held divine presence and was thought to be a link between life and death. In Germany, this tree is a favorite (some call the European LInden the German Linden tree) and symbolizes justice and peace - it is often mentioned in old folklore and iconic songs.

Click here for Littleleaf Linden technical data

COMMON NAME:  Little-Leaf Linden

 LATIN NAME:  Tilia cordata

 COMMON CULTIVARS:  Greenspire, Glenleven, Chancellor

 NICKNAME:  Small Leaf Lime Tree

 NATIVE TO:  Europe 

 DESCRIPTION:  Medium to large sized deciduous shade tree growing 50 – 60 feet tall and 40 foot wide at maturity. 

 SHAPE:  Pyramidal to oval

 LEAVES:  Alternate arrangement with dark green glossy top surface and pale green underside. Leaf shape is ovate with a cordate base and serrated margins. Leaves are typically 2-3 inches long and wide with a pale-yellow green color in the fall.    

 FLOWERS:  Fragrant creamy white clusters that bloom in the summer

 FRUIT:  Small hairy nutlet that hangs in pendulous clusters

 PROBLEMS:  Japanese beetles can skeletonize the leaves during the summer. Aphids can be a problem causing sticky leaves because of their secretions.

Key Memorial Chapel

Dating back to 1913, this picturesque stone building was constructed to serve as a mortuary chapel, replacing an earlier structure known as “the public vault.” The location has hosted funeral and memorial services, business meetings, lectures, special commemorative programs and even a few weddings up through today. 



Chapel Interior

Pin Oak

Additional photos

Click here for  Pin Oak technical data

COMMON NAME:  Pin Oak

LATIN NAME:  Quercus palustris

COMMON CULTIVARS: Green Pillar, Crownright, Sovereign

NICKNAME:  Swamp oak, Swamp Spanish oak

NATIVE TO:  North America

DESCRIPTION:  Tall shade tree (60-100 ft) with distinctive tough horizontal branching.

SHAPE:  Pyramidal with straight central trunk

LEAVES:  Glossy dark green, 3-5 inches long, with deep sinuses and 5-7 lobes.  Leaves turn russet, bronze and red in the fall.

FLOWERS:  Yellow-green catkins 5-7 inches long

FRUIT:  Round acorns, 3/8 – 1/2 inch in size, with thin saucer like caps with small tight scales on them.

PROBLEMS:  Scale insects and oak wilt disease.  Can be damaged by livestock chewing on their bark and branches.

There are almost 600 different species of Oak “Quercus” in the world, the majority of which grow in the Northern Hemisphere. Oaks as they have traveled throughout history with us and are often called the cathedrals of the natural world. Oaks are unrivaled in their wildlife value- and have one of the consistently longest lifespans if we just leave them to grow old. “An Oak takes 300 years to grow, 300 years to live and 300 years to die.” However, the oldest Oak in the world, the Pechanga great oak, a coastal live oak located on the Pechanga Tribe reserve in California, is said to be the world's oldest living oak and could well have been around for at least 2000 years.

This slow and methodical maturation leads not only to the fine quality of the wood, but also to the remarkable biodiversity of life that the trees support -- from large wildlife who graze on the acorns down to the multitude of fungal species that interact symbiotically with the trees. 2300 species of animals depend on the oak – these consist of some 40 bird species, over 200 different types of moss, hundreds of fungi (including truffles!), over one thousand invertebrates, lichens, and dozens of mammals. Of the different species, 320 are found only on oak trees, and a further 229 species are rarely found on species other than oak. Note that the number “2,300” doesn’t include all fungi, or any of the bacteria and other microorganisms which create a symbiotic home with the oak.

Unfortunately, most oaks are harvested at 50-80 years of age (also called ‘financial maturity.’) While oaks trees surely would prefer to live their full life span- 20 times longer-, the wood of oak trees is strong, hard, heavy and dense with close grain (“An oak breaks, it doesn’t bend.”) Due to their high tannin content, they are also usually very resistant to insect and fungal infestations even though we are currently seeing a lot of oak decline due to the increasingly extreme weather patterns which has made them more vulnerable to pathogens and insects.  

The Pin Oak, Quercus plaustris, grows wild from Canada to Oklahoma. They like low-lying areas that can be subject to flooding as these have moist and acidic soils. However, because of this, its leaves often show a bit yellow- a sign of iron deficiency. Maryland, with its increasing precipitation, is an optimal host. Pin Oaks develop a rather shallow root system that can help it avoid getting waterlogged, but this shallow root system is not too effective in high winds so don’t plant these right next to your house.

One should never plant oaks close to the house anyway, since they attract lightening far more than other tree species. On one hand, oaks are usually some of the tallest trees in the landscape. On the other hand, they are also more conductive thanks to their higher moisture content and the vast number of water-filled cells running up and down their trunks. Ancient Druids who sought ‘awen’ or inspiration, believed it came through lightning – this moment of illuminations was thought of as a flowing spirit and essence of life and producing moments of artistic inspiration. So, for the Druids, the oak was seen as the conductor of universal revelation and as such was highly venerated.

The symmetrical and relatively narrow, even triangular or conical canopy of the pin oak makes it highly desirable for landscapers. (Most other oaks spread a huge canopy). Pin Oaks grow quickly – over a foot a year-, they have a dark gray bark; the leaves are easily recognizable at 3 to 6 inches long, bristle tipped, 5 to 7 deep lobes with wide circular or U-shaped sinuses. Their acorsn are somewhat small and pointy, about halfway hidden in their cups. Pin oaks up to 100 feet tall and the canopy tends to spread only about 30-40 feet. While the pin grows very straight, its wood is of less value than other oaks because it often exhibits lots of knots.


Click here for the Pin Oak's location

Ginkgo

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COMMON NAMEGinkgo

LATIN NAME:  Ginkgo biloba


COMMON CULTIVARS:  Autumn Gold, Fastigiata, Fairmound, and Magyar


NICKNAME:  Maidenhair


NATIVE TO:  China and the Far East


DESCRIPTION:  Upright and symmetrical shade tree growing 50-75 feet tall and 60 foot wide.  Trees are dioecious, which means there are both male and female trees.  Drought tolerant and can grow in wide range of soils.


SHAPE:  Pyramidal when young growing broader with age.  Fairly open canopy with a strong central leader.


LEAVES:  Unique fan shaped with 2 rounded lobes 2-4 inches wide.  Veins in the leaf radiate outward.  Leaves turn a glowing yellow in the fall.


FLOWERS:  Does not have true flowers.  Female tree has long green stalks with ovules on the end, and male has drooping soft cones with seeds and pollen inside.


FRUIT:  Takes 12-15 years to bear fruit.  Male tree has small round flesh covered half inch seeds called Ginkgo Nuts.  Female has one inch orange globular fruit that grows in clusters with one seed inside.  Female fruit is messy and known for its unpleasant odor.


PROBLEMS:  Resistant to most insects and disease.  Can be susceptible to phytophthora root rot if it remains in moist soils.

This tree hasn’t changed in its appearance since the Mesozoic Era which ranged from 245-65 million years ago, same as some Dawn redwoods and conifers. It is the longest existing temperate tree species -followed by Oak which came at the end of the Mesozoic- and the only survivor of the Ginkgoaceae family. It is also called the Maidenhair tree because this deciduous tree resembles the maidenhair fern. Today, it grows naturally in South East China and has become very popular across temperate regions due to its beautiful symmetrical shape and distinctive fan-leaf shape (the name biloba means two-lobed) unique to the tree world. It is a resilient tree which routinely grows to 1,000 years of age, The oldest one of these beauties is the Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo King estimated to be between 4,500-5,000 years old. It grows at an elevation of around 4,200 feet and it’s almost 100 feet tall. It’s a male tree considered the largest ginkgo tree on earth, surrounded by low-lying crops in a valley.

The ‘grandfathers’ or ‘ancient ones’ – the trees that live for several thousand years seem to have two things in common: they live in very rugged and harsh environments – this allows them to grow slowly, escape humans, and competition from flora and fauna; and they have the unique ability to section of parts of their structures as they die off, keeping the rest alive and even continuing to grow. Most trees can do this to a degree but the grandfathers are experts. It is also how the second oldest tree in the world has survived - a Great Basin bristlecone pine named Methuselah growing high in the White Mountains of Inyo County in eastern California which is now 4,854-year-old. In Japan, the Ginkgo Biloba is also called the ‘bearer of hope’ after several Ginkgo Bilobas shot back close to the epicenter soon after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

It is absolutely breathtaking to see a Ginkgo ‘scar’ because it sheds its leaves pretty much all at once. When a hard frost arrives, the tree will finish severing every leaf and they fall to the ground in unison – a bright yellow rain of little fan shaped leaves, all at once. This is also an easily recognizable tree in the winter as an upright tree with some horizontal branching and importantly large buds and stubby spurs but no little twigs and branches.

The Ginkgo Biloba is a dioecious tree, meaning that it has separate male and female trees, where the wind will send the pollen from a male tree to a female. The female Gingko bears yellow round fruit in autumn. The fruit is notorious for its sliminess and awful smell of vomit which can be quite unbearable. However, when the fruit is harvested and soaked, the kernel is eaten roasted, salted or sweetened. The kernel is a known remedy for memory loss. That said, it is a prime example of “Botanical Sexism.” While understandable, many cities and parks refrain from planting female trees because their fruit are sticky, attract pests, and can create a mess or a foul smell. However, planting only male trees has increased the amount of pollen in the air in spring, making allergies worse in urban and developed areas.

Click here for the Gingko's location

Thomas Baltzell Tyler/Cradle Graves (Area B/Lot 113)

A unique style of cemetery marker, found here in Mount Olivet, is referred to as a “cradle grave.” These are also known as “bedstead monuments,” and were very popular in the 19th century, around the time of the American Civil War. A cradle, or bedstead, grave consists of a collection of parts and is composed of a headstone, footstone, and side-cradling. These elements are supposed to represent a small bed with a headboard, footboard, and bed-rails on a bedframe. This particular example is the final resting place for Thomas Baltzell Tyler in Area B/Lot 113. Hailing from the once-prominent Tyler family of Frederick City, Thomas died at age 13 less than a week before Christmas in the year 1856 after an illness of three weeks.  

This particular example is the final resting place for Thomas Baltzell Tyler in Area B/Lot 113. Hailing from the once-prominent Tyler family of Frederick City, Thomas died at age 13 less than a week before Christmas in the year 1856 after an illness of three weeks. 

Yoshino Cherry

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Click here for Yoshino Cherry technical data

COMMON NAME:  Yoshino Cherry

LATIN NAME:  Prunus x yedoensis

COMMON CULTIVARS:  Actually, it does not have a scientific cultivar. It is the original cultivar of its species. There are many cultivars of yedoensis like Akebono, Mikado, and America 

NICKNAME:  Japanese Flowering Cherry

NATIVE TO:  Japan

DESCRIPTION:  Small deciduous ornamental tree growing 20-45 foot tall and 20-30 foot wide.

SHAPE:  Broad to upright with spreading branches growing almost as wide as it is tall. 

LEAVES:  Alternately arranged 2-5 inches long and 1.5 to 2.5 inches wide with serrated margin. 

FLOWERS:  Emerge before the leaves.  White or pale pink fragrant petals growing in clusters of 5 or 6

FRUIT:  Small cherry globose drupe, .3 - .4 inch in diameter

PROBLEMS:  Many insects such as aphids, scale, borers, caterpillars, and Japanese beetles.  Several diseases such as leaf spot, leaf curl, root rot, and powdery mildew

This beauty, together with the Kanzan cherry, produce the spectacular flowers that we celebrate in Washington, D.C.’s springtime cherry blossom festival. This one is a Yoshino cherry, named after the old capital of Japan, Yeddo. A native of Japan, the tree was introduced to America in 1902. The first Japanese flowering cherries planted in the nation’s capital were a gift of friendship between the people of Japan and the people of the United States. First Lady Nellie Taft graciously accepted the gift from the wife of the mayor of Tokyo, and in 1910 two thousand cherry trees were gifted. And burned. All of them. Upon arrival. Luckily, this didn’t start a war since it turned out that these trees unfortunately were infested with insects. In 1912, three thousand fresh cherry trees were gifted and the First Lady and the wife of the mayor planted the first tree at the Tidal Basin. Since, we celebrate this ancient Japanese festival in our capital as well. If you get tired of the crowds at the cherry blossom festival, you can see some of these same gifted cherry trees – in addition to Akebono Cherry, Weeping Cherry and other blooming trees like magnolias, dogwoods, red buds at the Arlington Cemetery. The DC cherry trees are now 166 years old (they did not gift us seedlings).

The cherry genus, Prunus, has over 400 species of tree, most of which are deciduous and local to the northern hemisphere. Many cultivars exist and these are a favorite for landscapers and planners, with their – mostly- medium height and beautiful display. The Cherry is actually a “drupe” same as the avocado, a peach, or an olive. A drupe is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed (drupa means overripe olive) and sometimes this is protected by the fruit flesh, such as the cherry or the plum. Some nuts such as the walnut, the almond, pistachio, cashew and pecans qualify as drupes too.

So how come this cherry tree is one of the first to bloom in spring time? An old Japanese legend tells the story of a spring fairy who floats low in the sky, waking the sleeping Cherry trees with her delicate breath, explaining the overnight burst of pink blossoms throughout the land.

This tree is also magnificent for wildlife- its little black drupes which are very popular with wildlife, from birds to squirrels and more.

Click here for the Yoshino Cherry's location

Scarlet Oak


Additional photos

Click here for Scarlet Oak technical data

 COMMON NAME:  Scarlet Oak

LATIN NAME:  Quercus coccinea

COMMON CULTIVAR:  Splendens

NICKNAME:  No known nicknames, however many refer to this as a red oak, black oak, or Spanish oak, but these are actual species.  The Scarlet oak is called the “Official tree of Washington D.C.”

NATIVE TO:  Eastern North America

DESCRIPTION:  Deciduous shade tree 70-120 foot tall. This tree is fast growing but short lived.

SHAPE:  Medium sized shade tree with an irregular crown.  Tree will have many dead lower branches and usually a swelling at the base.

LEAVES:  Dark glossy green with deep sinuses and pointed ends.  Size is 4-7 inches long and 5 inches wide.  Alternate branching with smooth margins. Excellent fall scarlet color.

FLOWERS:  Tree is monoecious, which means it has separate male and female flowers.  Male flowers are yellow green catkins, 2-4 inches long.  Female flowers are reddish green slender spikes in the axils of new growth. 

FRUIT:  Acorns are brown, oval, and up to 2 inches long. Cap of acorn covers one half of the nut and has large scales that are arranged tightly.

PROBLEMS:  Does not grow well in low lying areas.  Insects include Spongy Moth (Gypsy Moth), two line chestnut borer, fall cankerworm, ambrosia beetles, and forest tent caterpillar.  Can have cankers produced by bark pathogens. Oak Decline is a term used when oaks fail after insect damage and climate change.  

This beauty is another oak tree (Quercus coccinea), one of the nearly 600 species. This one is the scarlet oak and one of the most popular ornamental trees of North America with its spectacular fall leaves which stay on the tree much longer than other fall leaves. The scarlet oak tolerates a wide range of soils but prefers poor sandy soil and lots of sunlight so it’s often found in higher elevations. Leaves are glossy deep green on top, paler green below, and scarlet in fall. The crown is open and rounded, providing light shade. The scarlet oak grows from 60' up to 85’ and shows a broader crown spread than the pin oak.

Oaks are wind-pollinated trees (“Anemophilous”) with male and female flowers on the same tree. But in spite of this fact they set fruit usually only when another individual of the same species exists in the vicinity and can serve as a pollen donor. This interesting collaboration also applies to nut production: the fruit of the Oak tree of course is the acorn and in “mast years” an oak tree produces far more acorns than usual and it does so in coordination with other oaks in the region. Trees undergoing mast years at the same time is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure the survival of the trees since the deer and squirrels can only eat so many at a time.

Entire cultures subsided–and thrived–on annual acorn harvests and the bread, cakes, grits, and other foods that can be made with processed acorns. In North America, it was one of the most nutritious food sources, carbohydrate rich, with a nutty flavor, and more ‘good fats’ than an almond. In a mast year, a single, well established oak of good size can drop between 500-2,000 pounds of acorns (according to the cook book “Acorns and EatEm”.) The processing takes anywhere from a day to several weeks as one has to gather acorns, crack and shell them, loosely chop them up, remove the tannins from them, grind them into flour (or keep them as grits) and cook them.  From start to finish, you are looking at anywhere from 1/2 a day to several weeks, depending on the quantities needed and leaching method used. For this reason, this was a seasonal community activity among indigenous people. Scarlet oak acorns in particular are also an important food source for many large songbirds, wild turkeys, grouse, squirrels, geese, and white-tailed deer.

The long-term survival of the oak family- estimated at 65 million years - can also partly be put down to the design of acorns. The hard shell protects the seed (or to be correct, the fruit) and while there are around 600 species of oak worldwide, an alarming 78 species of oak are now classified as in danger of extinction. Sadly, this number is rising.

The leaves of the Scarlet Oak have a bit more of ragged look than most other oaks: they’re roughly elliptical in shape, with several angular lobes that show several edges (as opposed the the pin oak which only has one pointed edge at the tip if its lobes) the sinuses are deep as in the pin oak. The acorns are relatively small and up to halfway hidden in a robust cup.

Click here for the Scarlett Oak's location

John Reading Schley (1894-1918) (Area C/Lot 94)

Described as “strong, and well built,” John Reading Schley excelled in academics and athletics, while being highly popular with classmates. Above all, his associates said: “he was high-minded and honorable.” Schley was descended from one of Frederick’s founding German families and in the autumn of 1915, the recent high school grad entered Lehigh University, expecting to take a four year-course track in electro-metallurgy. A year and a half later, on April 6th, 1917, Schley found another calling when the US Congress voted to enter World War I. Schley would enlist, and receive training, in the US Army’s Air Corps becoming Frederick’s first military aviator. He had set his sights at buzzing the treetops on the French and the German front while doing battle with the likes of flying aces such as Manfred von Richthofen, better known as “the Red Baron.”

Sadly, John Reading Schley crashed and died during one of his final training missions over France, just 20 days before the war’s end on November 11th, 1918. He is one of over 4,700 veterans interred here in Mount Olivet, and the military-issue marble cross marking his grave here was the same, original monument which stood on his original grave in France. It accompanied Schley’s body back to his hometown, and family burial plot, in 1921.


Zelkova

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Click here for Zelkova technical data

COMMON NAME:  Zelkova

LATIN NAME:  Zelkova serrata

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Green Vase’, ‘Autumn Glow’, ‘Halka’, ‘Village Green’, ‘Green Veil’, and ‘Wireless’

NICKNAME:  Japanese Zelkova

NATIVE TO:  Eastern Asia

DESCRIPTION:  Medium sized deciduous tree growing 50-80 feet tall and 50-65 feet wide.  Short trunk with many upright tightly spaced branches. 

SHAPE:  Vase shape with rounded crown. Has spreading but upright branching.  Makes for excellent street tree.

LEAVES:  Alternate serrated leaves borne on inverted pins averaging 1-3 inches long and 1-3 inches wide.  Veins are parallel ending in a tooth.  Leaves turn a yellow to bronze in the fall.

FLOWERS:  Monoecious meaning both reproduction organs are on the same tree.  Yellow green flowers occurring in tight groups.

FRUIT:  Small green oval to triangular gall looking drupe about 1/8 inch in diameter.  Fruit will mature to a brown color in the fall.

PROBLEMS:  Leaf rollers and aphids are the only insects of concern.  Tree is prone to some fungus but resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.  Will have twig dieback in colder climates.  Because of the tight branching, there can be some inner crown die back and some bark splitting.

This Zelkova tree is a native of Japan, China, and Korea where it is most often known as Keyaki. It is easy to recognize (especially in winter) because it tends to grow in a perfect V shape with straight branches forming an upside down triangle. In addition to being known for its hardiness as it is tolerant of drought, heat, wind, and urban conditions, Zelkova has been promoted as a substitute for the American elm tree due to its resistance to Dutch elm disease and was widely planted after we lost most of our native elms. The Zelkova is one of five species inside the elm family. A big drawback, however, is that it does not attract or support much wildlife as it is not native to our region.

Keyaki wood is valued in Japan and used often for furniture, such as tansu (antique mobile chest with lots of drawers) as well as being considered the ideal wood for the creation of taiko drums by hollowing out wafers of the trunk.  The Zelkova in Japan is also a favorite for bonsai. The tree is a symbol of a number of Japanese cities and prefectures, such as the 1,000 year old “Noma Keyaki” in Osaka.

In Korea, the Zelkova serrata has been considered a symbol of protection for villages since ancient times, and can still be found planted at central points in cities, towns and villages around the country. The trees often shade plazas and pavilions that are gathering points and where traditional rituals are performed, which often involve ceremonies with prayer and offerings to the tree. The oldest of these trees are estimated to be in excess of 1,000 years in age, and are protected as natural monuments by Korean law. In 2013, the Korea Forest Research Institute announced a project to clone the Zelkova, the pine, and the ginkgo trees that are identified as natural monuments, so their lineage will not be lost to climate change or other disaster. 

Click here for the Zelkova's location

Hedges Family and Grave Symbolism, Lycurgus Hedge's Daughter (Area C/Lot 85)

Lycurgus Edward Hedges - Weeping Woman

One of the most photogenic monuments in Mount Olivet belongs to a gentleman whose name evokes an equal level of intrigue. Lycurgus Edward Hedges (1825-1892) was a businessman who made a fine living engaged in the flour and grain business with locations in Frederick and in Kansas. He accumulated great wealth, but remained civic-minded as one of his many accomplishments included serving as Mount Olivet’s third president from 1889-1892. He was named for Lycurgus (c. 820 BC) a quasi-legendary lawgiver of Sparta who established the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. 


Mourning Woman

The figure atop this monument is that of a weeping woman holding a wreath in one hand, and supporting her grief-filled head in the other. In the study of monument iconography, “the grieving woman” is self-explanatory, while the wreath symbolizes “victory over death.” Interestingly, the laurel wreath is associated with Greek attire and celebrations going back to ancient times, continuing a tradition exhibited in modern-day Olympic ceremonies. 



Lycurgus Hedges’ daughter, Lillian, born in 1865, married Henry Thomas Talbott, a physician who practiced in Charlestown, WV. Lillian’s life would be brief, as she passed at the tender age of 26, less than two months after giving birth to a daughter named in her honor. This young woman’s grave monument fittingly includes a depiction of lilies, the basis for her name. The Easter lily has come to represent resurrection and renewal as it comes out from the dark soil in spring, and is highly regenerative, re-emerging after fire or drought.


Pecan

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COMMON NAME:  Pecan

LATIN NAME:  Carya illinoinensis

COMMON CULTIVAR:  Two or more cultivars must be present to pollinate this tree.  Centennial was the first and several others are ‘Stuart’, ‘Schley’, ‘Elliott’, ‘Desirable’, ‘Major’, Witte’, and, ‘Kanza’

NICKNAME:  No known nickname but first Spanish explores called this tree “Wrinkle Nut”.

NATIVE TO:  United States

DESCRIPTION:  Large deciduous fruit bearing shade tree growing to 65-130 feet in height and 40-75 foot in spread.

SHAPE:  Pyramid shaped crown in the forest but broad and rounded crown when growing in the open. Largest of all hickories.

LEAVES:  Alternate arrangement of pinnate stems of 9 to 17 lance shaped leaflets, 2-4 inches long and 1-2.5 inches wide. Leaf color is medium green and fall color is yellow to bronze.

FLOWERS:  Insignificant and monoecious.  Male flowers are 4 inch long yellow-green catkins and female flowers are short spikes.

FRUIT:  Like other hickory geneses, the fruit is not a nut but a drupe which is a fruit with a single pit surrounded by a shell.  A true nut does not open to produce seed to the world. Example would be an acorn.  The shell of the pecan is oval to oblong about 2 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. It has a covering called a husk. The shell will split into four sections to release the seed.

PROBLEMS: Pecans are prone to infection by bacteria and fungi.  Pecan scab is the most destructive.  Insects such as ambrosia beetle, twig girdler, pecan nut casebearer, weevils, and aphids feed on these trees.  Mineral deficiencies can also be a problem.    

This tall beauty is a native of Mexico, Texas, and the Mississippi River valley where it likes the damp soils. The pecan is a species of hickory cultivated for its seed a.k.a. delicious nut a.k.a. drupe and of great commercial value both for its nuts and its wood. Its Latin name, Carya illionoinensis, literally means Illinois nut and it’s part of the Juglandaceae family together with the walnut, pig nut, and hickory nut.

The Pecan tree is closely intertwined with American History: Indigenous used the nuts for barter and as a nutritious food, full of proteins for many centuries. These nuts also are kept for over a year at times, without spoiling, which was helpful because the tree doesn’t fruit each year. The Pecan tree easily lives more than 300 years. On that note, Thomas Jefferson took a bag of pecan nuts from his orchard in Monticello and gave them to George Washington who successfully planted them at his home in Mount Vernon in 1775. Some of the pecans, planted  at Mount Vernon, still survive. This tree is also the State tree of Texas and the town of San Saba claims to be the pecan capital. Several southern towns have pecan festivals in the fall.

Everyone loves pecan nuts including wild turkeys, wood ducks, crows, blue jays, squirrels, opossum, and raccoons. White-tailed deer sometimes also browse pecan trees if they can reach the nuts.

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Shagbark Hickory

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COMMON NAME: Shagbark hickory

LATIN NAME: Carya ovata

COMMON CULTIVARS: ‘Yoder’, ‘Porter’, and ‘Wilcox’

NICKNAME: Shagbark

NATIVE TO: Eastern North America

DESCRIPTION: Related to the Walnut and Pecan. This is a high branching deciduous shade and fruit tree having a straight trunk and narrow crown. Average height is 70-90 feet but can grow taller in some areas. Width averages 40-60 foot wide. Bark of this tree hangs on in strips witch some small animals use for nesting.

SHAPE: Oval outline with the lower branches somewhat drooping, the middle branches horizontal and the upper branches growing upright. Considered to have an open branch habit.

LEAVES: Pinnately compound with 5 leaflets. Alternate arrangement with oblong leaves 4 – 8 inches in length. Green during the summer and turning yellow in the fall.

FLOWERS: Insignificant greenish yellow. Male flowers are 4–5 inch catkins and female has 2-3 inch flower spikes. 

FRUIT: Is a drupe 1 – 1.5 inch long and 1 inch wide. This oval fruit contains an edible sweat tasing nut wrapped in a hard bony shell with a thick husk wrapped around it.

PROBLEMS: Susceptible to canker which is a wood rotting fungus. Other diseases are anthracnose, verticillium wilt, and hickory stem gall. Insects include aphids, hickory bark beetle, and twig girdler.

It’s easy to see how shagbark hickories got their name—their trunks have long, peeling strips (up to one foot in length) of gray-brown bark curling away from the trunk. This gives it a bit of a shaggy appearance which is ideal for contrast and shade in landscapes. Some animals, like some bats, make their homes in the crevices beneath the loose bark. However, young trees have a very smooth bark.  Branches and leaves of shagbarks form oval-shaped crowns in the spring and summer. They grow naturally along the East coast from Canada - Quebec-to Florida and inland into Texas. Shagbark hickories can tolerate a range of temperatures, but they grow best in moist soils in humid climates. Interestingly, in the wild, these trees are not found in pure stands, but instead are usually scattered throughout a forest of oaks, pines, and maples. They are sometimes planted as ornamental shade trees for contrast.

To continue with our presidential trees, the seventh president to the United States, Andrew Jackson, was popularly known as Old Hickory, comparing the toughness of this tree’s wood to the President who took on the Bank of America - and won. Part of the walnut and pecan family, its wood is, as mentioned- tough and therefore often nowadays used for baseball bats; Native Americans used the wood for snowshoes and bows.

Prized by both humans and animals, it produces edible nuts in late summer and hosts dozens of insects. Its lumber is used for flooring, cabinets, and firewood. While this tree also produces delicious nuts, it is not the best for commerce because it takes up to 40 years to start producing, and when it does fruit, it does not produce the quantities that walnuts and pecans spoil us with. However, this tree has also been tapped for a nice smoke sweet syrup and the strips of bark have been used to flavor everything from ice creams to spirits.

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McDonold-Knight Lot (Frances Celia McDonald) (Area F/Lot 51-53)

Celtic Cross

Note the beautiful Celtic cross over the grave of a popular young man from Frederick’s past whose life ended much too early like the fore-mentioned Lillian (Hedges) Talbott. While on his way to Cuba in the year 1899, 25-year-old bachelor John Knight McDannold died of pneumonia in Savannah, Georgia before reaching his destination. His ornate, grave monument is said to have been hand-crafted by Tiffany’s of New York. McDannold had a twin sister named Frances Celia who passed in 1878 (age four). Her grave is marked with a cross made of marble, and masterfully fashioned to look as if formed from tree branches. Other monuments, here in this lot, showcase flowers. 

Horse Chestnut

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COMMON NAME:  Horse Chestnut

LATIN NAME:  Aesculus hippocastanum

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Baumannii’, ‘Briotii’

NICKNAME:  European Horse Chestnut, Buckeye, and Conker Tree  Note;  The Ohio Buckeye is a relative (Aesculuis glaba). The European has a spiney husk and the Ohio tree has a knobby husk.

NATIVE TO:  Southeast Europe (Balkans)

DESCRIPTION:  Large deciduous shade tree producing large nut like seeds growing to the heights of 90-125 feet. The seeds have been referred to as Buckeye’s because they look like deer eyes.

SHAPE:  Tree has a domed crown and stout branches and usually grows much narrower that its height. The outer branches in older trees are pendulous with curl up at the tips. 

LEAVES:  This tree is one of the few trees that has opposite growing leaves.  Remember MADHORSE!  Maple, Ash, Dogwood, and Horse chestnut.  These trees have opposite growth.  The Horse Chestnut is palmately compound with 5-7 leaflets about 5-12 inches long.  Leaf scars have a horseshoe shape with “7 nails”

FLOWERS:  Tree is synecious (male and female organs in same flower) with white flowers which has a pink blotch at the base of the petal. Flowers are on an erect triangular panicle, 4-12 inches high with about 20-50 flowers each.

FRUIT:  Each panicles develops 1-4 fruits with a green spikey capsules containing 1-2 nut like seeds called conkers.

PROBLEMS:  Insects include a leaf mining moth and several species of scale.  Diseases include bleeding canker and leaf scorch. Armillaria root fungus is a wood rot that can be detrimental.  


The horse chestnut, is a cousin of the maple, soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae but qualifies as an Aesculus, same as the Buckeye. It is a large, deciduous, synecious tree, meaning it has both the female and male ‘organs’ together on the same branch. It is also called European horse chestnut, buckeye, and Conker tree. It is most recognizable by its upright pyramids of tiny flowers: there are red horse chestnuts most typical to Germany, and the European (native to Greece and Albania) and Japanese Horse Chestnuts typically have white flowers.

In Europe, the Conker tree is one of the favorites for children as this is where they get the chestnuts for the conker game and in preschool and elementary school, all kids learn to create little animals and funny figurines using only conkers and toothpicks. This is also called the Anne Frank tree as she talked about a horse chestnut outside her window in Amsterdam in the “Diaries of Anne Frank.”  While that tree blew over in a storm, seeds of the same tree have been distributed and grown around holocaust memorials, parks, and schools.

Horse chestnuts are poisonous. If eaten, they can cause digestive problems such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and throat irritation. More than one in 10 cases of poisonous plants being mistaken for edible plants involve horse and sweet chestnuts, so do make sure you identify your trees correctly. Nevertheless, deer and other mammals eat the conkers and the horse chestnut seed extract is sold in most pharmacies and helps with joint pain, bladder and gastrointestinal problems, fever, leg cramps, and other conditions. The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen for insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of the triangle moth feed on its leaves, as does the horse chestnut leaf-miner moth whose caterpillars provide food for chickadees.

An old wives tale says that if a spider gets close to a conker it will curl its legs up and die within one day – so a plus for anyone with arachnophobia.

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Sifford Lot (Area F/Lot 105)

Faux Tree Chair

In the Sifford family lot, one can find an interesting monument in the shape of a chair and appears to be formed from a tree trunk. This is not marking a specific grave, but serves only as ornamentation, and a place to sit, for members of this early Frederick family when visiting this site. The owner of the lot, John E. Sifford, was purveyor of the Sifford Marble Works, a 19th century maker of tombstones. He most likely produced the “tree-chair” that occupies a space not far from his own gravestone placed at the time of his death in 1904.

Yellow Poplar

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COMMON NAME:  Yellow Poplar (Many say Tulip Poplar)

LATIN NAME:  Liriodendron tulipifera  (Magnolia family)

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Emerald City’, ‘Little Volunteer’, ‘Arnold’

NICKNAME:  Tulip Poplar, Tulip Tree, Tulip Wood, Fiddlewood

NATIVE TO:  North America (Eastern part)

DESCRIPTION:  Tallest eastern hardwood tree growing to height of 160 feet and 80 feet wide.  Tall straight trunk with not many lower limbs.  Great lumber tree producing light colored wood.

SHAPE:  Oval crown growing in an overall tall pyramidal shape.  Gray/Brown bark that is not deeply notched.

LEAVES:  Simple, alternate, pinnately veined leaves about 5-6 inches long and 5-6 inch wide.  They are heart shaped with 4 lobes.  Base is wedge shaped and top looks square.  Bright green top to leaf and paler underside.  Yellow fall color. 

FLOWERS: Pale white to yellow with orange band on the petals.  Flower buds enclosed in a two value caducous bract. (Looks like a tulip) Trees will be 15-20 years old before flowering.  Will have both open pollination and cross pollination. Stamen is short thread like, and the pistil is on long slender receptable. 

FRUIT:  Narrow light brown come formed from many samaras.  These are developed from the ovary and when separated, they are a flat wing that blows in the wind with a seed in the middle.

PROBLEMS:  Yellow poplar weevils, (snout beetle causing rice shaped holes in leaves), Tulip tree scale causing sticky residue and sooty mold, Aphids, and Calico Scale.     


Liriodendron tulipifera—known as the tulip tree, tulipwood, tulip tree, tulip poplar, tulip magnolia, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron (the other one is in China and Vietnam), and the tallest eastern hardwood. The modern-day tulip tree, state tree of Indiana as well as Kentucky and Tennessee, can trace its lineage back to the time of the dinosaurs, according to newly published research by an Indiana University paleo botanist and a Russian botanist. This means it separated from the magnolia family over 100 million years ago to evolve into the current two species.

This is also the second tallest tree of all, second only to conifers such as the Redwood. It grows very fast and straight, producing a pale and easily worked wood which Native American preferred for the dugout canoes – which is why it is also called the Canoe Wood tree. Daniel Boone used one for his 60’ dugout.

Its iconic leaf looks like someone took a bite out of it- making it look like a saddle (hence saddle-leaf) and in that it reminds us of the Ginkgo, which also has an unusual leaf shape dating from prehistoric times. We mentioned George Washington with the Pecan trees; he also planted some tulip trees at Mount Vernon, two of which survive today and are over 145 feet tall. Since they can become over 350 years old, we hope to enjoy them for another couple of generations.

This tree provides food in many forms for many animals. In fall and winter, young trees are browsed by white-tailed deer and rabbits. The spring flowers provide nectar for ruby-throated hummingbirds. Tulip tree seeds, maturing in summer and persisting into winter, provide food for both birds and mammals, including finches, cardinals, quail, mice, red squirrels, gray squirrels and rabbits.

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James H. Gambril, Jr (1866-1951) in Winebrenner Lot (Area Q/Lot 124)

Gravestone, James. H. Gambril, Jr

This is the grave of James H. Gambrill Jr., a prominent former resident of Frederick City who had a long-lasting influence on the business, farming, and environmental affairs of his county. Mr. Gambrill embarked on a career in grain milling with his father. This career path led to a move to Alabama where he gained first-hand experience in marketing and transportation of grains and farm crops. Upon returning to the county in 1893, Gambrill continued his career in the grain industry, partnering with others to establish G.L Baking and Mountain City Mills—today’s home to the Delaplaine Arts Center. In 1902, he helped establish the Frederick County Farmers Exchange, a cooperative that marketed grain, flour, livestock feed, and farm tools. 


James H. Gambril, Jr

James Gambrill, Jr. enjoyed visiting the rugged mountains just west of the city for recreation and admiration of surrounding beauty. In an effort to preserve these opportunities for fellow residents, he convinced some of his business associates to help him purchase this land and donate it to the City of Frederick. 


Gambril Park Sign

A year after receiving this donation, the city donated the land to the State of Maryland, and on September 7th, 1934, Gambrill State Park was dedicated. Mr. Gambrill continued his efforts to preserve mountain land for conservation purposes and was instrumental in the development of the Frederick City Watershed. 

Joseph Dill Baker (Area P/Lot 101)

Joseph Dill Baker (1854-1938)

Joseph Dill Baker (1854-1938) was known in his day as “Frederick’s First Citizen.” A successful banker and financier, he is credited with helping secure the land that is now Baker Park, financing a large amount of it personally, amongst providing the funding for several other civic projects in Frederick. Baker Park is the site of the Joseph Dill Baker Memorial Carillon (built in 1941) and the location of the Frederick Forestry Board’s first Tree Walk trail.


American Holly

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COMMON NAME:  American Holly

LATIN NAME:  Ilex opaca

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Goldie’, ‘Grace McCutchin’, ‘Cobalt’, ‘Yule’, ‘Cardinal Hedge’, ‘Jersey Princess’, ‘Jersey Knight’

NICKNAME:  Christmas Holly, Evergreen Holly, White Holly

NATIVE TO:  United States

DESCRIPTION:  Large broad-leafed ornamental evergreen growing 90 foot tall and 60 foot wide.  Understory tree that is shade tolerant.  Thick canopy makes for a good landscape tree.

SHAPE:  In nature, tree will have a pyramidal shape but can be pruned into a hedge shape. 

LEAVES:  Alternate, 2-3 inches long and 1.5-2 inches wide.  Stiff yellow green with edges curved into a sharp spike-like points.  Has a wedge shaped base and short petiole.

FLOWERS:  Inconspicuous small greenish white.  Plant is dioecious meaning male and female parts are on different trees. ( Only female plants will set berries) 

FRUIT:  Small red drupe containing 4 seeds.  (Stone Fruit)  These red berries are poisonous to cats, dogs, and humans.

PROBLEMS:  Holly leaf minor, Scales, Whitefly, Bud moths, Southern red mites, Leaf spots, Bacterial blight, Leaf Scorch, and Spot anthracnose.

Before it was associated with the Christmas season, the holly tree was associated with special power by the Druids (Have you read “Asterix and Obelix”?) who regarded it as a symbol of fertility and eternal life. Cutting down a holly tree was bad luck. Romans associated it with Saturn and holly adorned the feast of Saturnalia in December. Nowadays the holly tree is often associated with Christmas since it is both an ornamental and an evergreen with showy red fruit right around that time of year. If you want that kiss under the mistletoe to be effective, make it happen under mistletoe, not holly. Holly and mistletoe continue to be confused, with images of holly being used more often than you might expect to illustrate or depict mistletoe across a wide variety of media and products

This is an understory tree often found at a forest edge (early succession) which also makes a great hedge. The holly can become over 500 years old and its wood is the whitest of woods and very dense- it has been used to make bowls, chessmen and decorative inlaid work. Its bark is steel gray throughout its life. It can be dyed black making it similar to ebony.

Its berries are poisonous to some animals and cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stupor in animals if ingested in large amounts. That said, deer, rabbits and rodents eat the berries and up to 18 species of bird depend on the holly berry in winter, including grouse, quail, robin, northern cardinal, eastern bluebird, northern mockingbird, wild turkey, and northern bobwhite. The foliage of the American holly also provides cover for songbirds and mammals and the flowers are attractive to bees.

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London Plane

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COMMON NAME:  London Plane  (Some call it a Sycamore)

LATIN NAME:  Platanus x acerifolia  -  This is a hybrid of Platanus Orientalis (Chinar tree or old world sycamore) and Platanus occidentalis (American Sycamore)

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Bloodgood’, ‘Exclamation’, ‘Ovation’, ‘Columbia’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Yarwood’

NICKNAME:  Plane Tree, Hybrid Plane

NATIVE TO:  Parents from Northern Hemisphere but London Plane was possibly hybridized naturally in Spain and brought to Britain

DESCRIPTION:  Medium to large deciduous shade tree with exfoliating bark all the way to the ground.  Large strong trunk that will look camouflaged with light brown outer bark and creamy olive inner bark.  Used in the garden as well as a street tree.

SHAPE:  Will look pyramidal when young and open with age to about 80 feet tall and 65 feet wide.  

LEAVES:  Medium to dark green, large, sugar maple like, with 3 to 5 indented lobes with coarse marginal teeth and many smaller lobes.  Leaves ae 6-7 inches long and 8-10 inches wide

FLOWERS:  Yellow to gold male flowers and reddish female flowers that grow in clusters on same tree. (Monoecious)   

FRUIT:  Female produces a fruiting ball, 1.5 inch in diameter, that ripens to a brown color in the fall.  There are usually 2 fruiting balls per stalk and are densely packed with seeds.

PROBLEMS:  Sycamore anthracnose, Cankers, Leaf Spot, Powdery, Mildew, Borers, Scales, and Japanese Beetles. 

The London Plane Tree (Platanus acerifolia or Platanus hispanica) is often confused with our native and iconic Sycamore, however it does have some clear differences. Together with the witch hazels, sycamores and planes are related to the Maple family. Sycamores like to have wet feet and they thrive in wetlands or even in a river.  

The London Plane tree is a hybrid of sycamores: The species was formed by hybridization in the 17th century after P. orientalis and P. occidentalis had been planted in proximity to one another. It is often said that the hybridization took place in Spain which is why it is often called the Platanus hispanica buy some say it took place in London, hence London Plane tree in the English language. It grows up to 100 feet tall and we don’t quite know its life expectancy yet. The London Plane tree has gray-greenish limbs rather than pure white and the bark flakes from the bottom of the trunk upwards. When the gray bark starts flaking off at mid-height and reveals pure white limbs that grow very tall (120 feet), it is a Sycamore or more precisely a Platanus occidentalis.  Also, where sycamores only have one seed ball on each stalk, the London Plane tree can have two or three seed balls per stalk. While sycamore generally grow quite fast, a lot of pollution has given city trees a slightly tortured aspect, growing in beautiful and unusual shapes. These trees are also extremely resistant to pollution and therefore are often planted in cities. The most typical in cities across Europe is the London Plane tree.

The Platanus orientalis grows along the edge of the Mediterranean from Albania to Israel and is also known as the tree of Hippocrates since, according to legend, Hippocrates of Kos, the father of medicine, taught his pupils this “new art” under an Oriental Sycamore. Paul of Tarsus purportedly taught here as well. The current “Hippocrates tree” stands next to the Gazi Hassan Mosque (erected in 1776) an Ottoman-era mosque on the Aegean island of Kos, in Greece and is about 500 years old. It purportedly is a descendant of the original tree which allegedly stood there 2400 years ago, in Hippocrates' time. The tree has become hollowed out over the years, and some branches are supported by metal scaffolding.

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Barbara Fritchie (Area MM/Lot 0)

After discussing the longevity of London Plane trees, it’s very fitting that you pause for a moment at the outstanding monument to Barbara Fritchie, who lived to be 96 and witnessed a great deal of our country’s early history. Here is the final resting place of Frederick’s legendary Civil War heroine introduced to the world in 1863 by John Greenleaf Whittier’s world-famous poem. Dame Fritchie allegedly waved a Union flag out the second-story dormer window of her West Patrick Street home at the marching columns of the Confederate Army traveling by on September 10th, 1862. The event culminated with a supposed dialogue with Rebel Gen. Stonewall Jackson, where it is claimed that Fritchie said, “Shoot if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country’s flag.”



Patriots (Area MM/Lot 38)

Liberty Tree

Oak trees are associated with longevity, strength, stability, endurance, fertility, power, justice, honesty and even patriotism—as yellow ribbons have been wrapped around this species to welcome home soldiers, POW's, and MIA's. 

This mighty oak could be called Mount Olivet’s “Liberty Tree” as it is surrounded by patriots galore including the forementioned Barbara Fritchie, and individuals connected with the American Revolution such as Thomas Johnson, Jr., a member of the Continental Congress, and brigadier general of the Maryland militia who was recalled from the battlefield to become Maryland’s first-elected governor. 


Dr. Philip Thomas

Another is Dr. Philip Thomas, another local leader in the fight for independence back in 1776 and son-in-law of John Hanson who in November 1781, was elected as the first President of the Confederation Congress (sometimes styled President of the United States in Congress assembled), following ratification of the Articles of Confederation. For this reason, some of Hanson's biographers have argued that he was actually the first holder of the office of President of the United States, Regardless, Dr. Thomas’ father-in-law is the namesake for Maryland’s Annapolis-Washington Expressway (US route 50), also known as the John Hanson Highway.

Revolutionary War

A year after receiving this donation, the city donated the land to the State of Maryland, and on September 7th, 1934, Gambrill State Park was dedicated. Mr. Gambrill continued his efforts to preserve mountain land for conservation purposes and was instrumental in the development of the Frederick City Watershed. 

Red Oak

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COMMON NAME:  Red Oak

LATIN NAME:  Quercus rubra 

COMMON CULTIVAR:  ‘Aurea’, ‘Splendens’

NICKNAME:  Northern Red Oak, Champion Oak – (Note, The Spanish Oak “Southern Red Oak” is Quercus falcata and not the Northern Red Oak.)

NATIVE TO:  North America

DESCRIPTION:  Large deciduous shade tree that is important to the lumber industry.  Grows straight and tall to over 140 feet. Reddish brown bark of the trunk has light brown ridges running from the top of the tree all the way to the ground.

SHAPE:  In the forest it has a narrow round crown but in full sun, it will develop into a much wider crown.  Stout branches growing at right angles to the stem. 

LEAVES:  Alternate 5-6 “long and 4-6” wide leaves have 7-9 lobes that are oblong and broad at the base.  Leaf margins have pointed teeth and considered broad and not cut deep.  Rich fall red color.

FLOWERS:  Monoecious (male and female on same plant) Insignificant yellow green clusters of 4” dangling catkins. 

FRUIT:  Acorn which takes 2 growing seasons to develop.  Also takes 3 months of below 40 degrees before it germinates. Nut is oblong or barrel shaped about 1 inch long.  Cap covers about one quarter of the nut with reddish thin scales.

PROBLEMS: Environmental stresses, canker pathogens, oak wilt, trunk fungus, aphids, borers, lace bugs, weevils, and sawflies. Tree does not like growing in wet conditions.

The Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is ubiquitous from Nova Scotia down to Georgia and especially present in New England where its spectacular russet to bright red fall colors are emblematic. Its leaves are similar to the scarlet oak but the sinuses are not as deep and the leaf itself is waxy but not glossy. The crown of the red oak spreads broadly – more so than the scarlet oak and definitely more than a pin oak; the nut is a longish fruit seated in a shallow cup. It tolerates pollution and loamy soils and can grow up to two feet per year in its first decade, making it a favorite for landscapers. On top, it’s a rare oak relatively amenable to being transplanted. Its pale yellow-green catkins appear at about the same time new foliage is expanding, typically between April-May.

The northern red oak has been a favorite of both lumbermen and landscapers since colonial times when it started becoming popular in Europe. It is believed that Bishop Compton's garden, near Fulham in England, received the first red oak transplant abroad in the late 17th century and by 1924, there were over 450 acres of red oak plantations in Baden, Germany.

The red oak is often associated with absolute love. It is probably because of its vivid red color in autumns and its ever-shining appearance.

Among Native Americans, the Oak also was revered for its generosity and every part of it was used when given permission by the oak itself (USDA, 2007 Indigenous Uses of Oaks):

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Norway Spruce

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COMMON NAME:  Norway Spruce

LATIN NAME:  Picea abies   Note:  This tree is closely related to the Siberian Spruce (Picea obovate) It takes on different appearances as it hybridizes with the Siberian Spruce quite often.  

COMMON CULTIVAR:  ‘Barrya’, ‘Capitata’, ‘Repens’, ‘Virbata’, ‘Little Gem’, ‘Inversa’, and ‘Acrocona’

NICKNAME:  European Spruce

NATIVE TO:  Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe

DESCRIPTION:  Large fast-growing evergreen with branchlets that tend to hang down from the stem. Has largest cones of any spruce

SHAPE:  Triangular shaped (like Christmas tree) growing to 180 feet tall.  Can be broad at the base with branches to the ground.

LEAVES:  Has needles that are quadrangularly shaped with blunt tips. Each needle is attached separately, and looking at the end of the stem it takes on a bottle brush round appearance.

FLOWERS:  Tree will require 40 years for seed production.  Male and female flowers are called strobili. (cone like structure) Both are near the tips of the branches.  Females are erect reddish brown about ¼ inch long.  Males are yellowish and in clusters. 

FRUIT:  Seed cones, “Pinecone”, with bluntly to sharply triangular pointed scale tips about 6-8 inches long, and 1-1.5 inches round. Woody cone is the female with black seeds inside a pale brown wing.  Male cone produces the pollen and is small and herbaceous

PROBLEMS:  Cytospora canker, Needle cast, Conifer spider mites, Bagworms, and Budworms.  

Spruces are very hardy evergreens that grow across the Northern Hemisphere and are an important part of the boreal circle (especially black and white spruce.) Spruces like the cold, ice, and high altitudes. This particular one, the Norway Spruce comes from northern Europe (but not actually Norway where it was planted later). Its dark green color and symmetrical shape often make them a focal point in landscapes. This one is the fastest growing of all spruces and often planted as windbreak.

Spruces are known across Europe for their immense height and age. The tallest reported Norway Spruce grows in Slovenia at a height of 62.26 meters (204 feet tall) and the second tallest grows in Germany's Sächsische Schweiz National Park at 59.2 meters (194 feet). However, as a result of soil and temperature conditions, the Norway spruce cannot grow as tall out of its native range and here in the U.S. we usually don’t see it grow taller than 70’.

Regarding age, on Fulufjället Mountain of Dalarna province in Sweden, stands a 16 foot tall Norway Spruce. It has been called the Old Tjikko and its root system is estimated to be 9,564 years old, making it the world's oldest known tree. For thousands of years, the tree appeared in a stunted shrub formation (also known as a krummholz formation) due to the harsh extremes of the environment in which it lives. During the warming of the 20th century, the tree sprouted into a normal tree formation. And if you’re curious about what “Tjikko” means, it was the name of the dog of the couple who discovered the tree.

Norway spruce trees support a wide variety of wildlife especially as a protective cover. If you observe a large Norway spruce for twenty minutes, you will see all types of birds and small mammals parading in and out. Bears, deer, and small game including grouse, hare, and woodcock seek cover under spruce branches in the winter. Song birds, hawks, and owls like to roost in them.

While this tree looks like it is a weeping tree, it is not- three branches of all Norway Spruce curve upwards, but their lower branches may droop downwards as the tree grows older. There is such a thing as a weeping Norway Spruce which is very slow growing; it grows sideways until it decides to pick itself up.

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Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran, and Methodist Episcopal Reburial (Area NN)

Churchyard Reburial

Area NN, situated along the western boundary of the cemetery, often raises curiosity among visitors because many gravestones are positioned very closely together—almost too close together, but there is a good explanation. Most of these were originally buried in the early churchyards that once graced downtown Frederick, many with death dates that predate Mount Olivet’s opening in 1854, and even having epitaphs written in German. Colonial gravestone architecture is clearly evident as three different churches bought lots on NN— the Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran and Methodist Episcopal. For one reason or another, these entities elected to remove bodies from their burial grounds to Mount Olivet, thus allowing for re-use/resale of these properties. Most of this reburial activity occurred in 1907-1908, and the layout for the lot has the Methodists to the left, Evangelical Lutherans in the middle and Presbyterians to the right.



Dogwood

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COMMON NAME:  Dogwood – In the spring when pink flowers show, it will be referenced as Pink Dogwood

LATIN NAME:  Cornus florida forma ‘Rubra’ 

COMMON CULTIVARS: (Actually these are crosses or clones)  ‘Cherokee Chief’, ‘Cherokee Brave’ 

NICKNAME:  Flowering Dogwood, American Dogwood, Florida Dogwood, Pink Dogwood and White Dogwood

NATIVE TO:  Eastern North America and Northern Mexico

DESCRIPTION:  Medium sized, deciduous, ornamental flowering tree that is used widely in residential plantings. 

SHAPE:  Broad, rounded, uniform tree growing as wide as it is tall.  Can be 30 foot high and 25-30 foot wide.  Straight trunk and spreading branches.  

LEAVES:  Remember MADHORSE? These are the trees that have opposite branching.  Maple, Ash, Dogwood, and Horse Chestnut. Leaves are ovate with entire margin and very finely toothed.  Size is about 3-5 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.  Turning reddish brown in the fall.

FLOWERS:  Monoecious (both male and female parts on same plant) but cannot self-fertilize. About 20 individual small greenish yellow inconspicuous petals (not bracts) sits inside the 4 larger bracts (not petals) that make up the flower appearance and color. 

FRUIT:  Cluster of two separate drupes (stone fruit) that ripen in the summer turning bright red. Seed inside is light brown.

PROBLEMS:  Anthracnose, Root Rot, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spots, Scale, Borers, Club Gall Midge. Low heat and salt tolerance. 

Flowering dogwoods are some of the most beautiful small and medium sized trees in North America and have been widely cultivated to about 50-60 different species. The dogwood has very hard wood which may have contributed to its name: many say the original name is dagger-wood, as handles of many knives are made of this tree, as are weaver's shuttles, chisel and maul handles, golf club heads, and yokes. Native Americans made medicinal teas from the bark of dogwoods and used this tea as a quinine substitute.

The dogwood does some heavy lifting for the Christian faith which has claimed it for several reasons: it blooms around Easter, its branches are opposite branching (together with Maple, Ash, and Buckeye “MAD DOG”) making it look like little crosses; and its flowers symbolize purity and innocence and represent the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The “flowers” of the flowering dogwood and kousa dogwood are not actually flowers, however, but bracts, which are modified leaves that look like petals because they have a different color. The true flowers are clustered in the center of these bracts. The bracts may be white, pink, or yellow. Dogwoods have a lot of wildlife value: its seed, fruit, flowers, twigs, bark and leaves are all used as food by various animals. At least 36 species of birds—including ruffed grouse, bobwhite, quail, and wild turkey eat the fruit as do chipmunks, foxes, squirrels, skunks, rabbits, deer, beaver, black bear, and other mammals. Its foliage and twigs are also browsed heavily by deer and rabbits.

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Yew

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COMMON NAME:  Yew

LATIN NAME:  Taxus x media   - Hybrid of the English Yew (Taxus baccata and the Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata)

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Densiformis’, ‘Moon’, ‘Hicksii’, ‘Vermeulen’, ‘Wardeii’, ‘Kelseii’, and ‘Meyeri’

NICKNAMES:  Spreading Yew, English Yew, Japanese Yew, Foundation Yew, and Hybrid Yew.

NATIVE TO:  United States (Region of Origin)

DESCRIPTION:  Most common needled evergreen used for foundation plantings.  Because of the many cultivars, this plant can be as short as 2 feet and as tall as 20 feet with a 20 foot spread.  Was hybridized in the early 1900’s.

SHAPE:   Appearance will depend on the cultivar selected.  Since this plant can withstand heavy pruning, you will find many different shapes from small, tight, and broad, to tall, open, and hedge-like.

LEAVES:  Two flat rows of needles that are spirally arranged and green in color.  Average length is about ¾ inch.

FLOWERS:  Insignificant creamy white globe-like clusters. Considered dioecious, which means male and female parts are on different plants.

FRUIT:  Red berries called arils are hidden in the foliage until fall.  They are poisonous and about 1 inch round.  This showy fruit is produced by the female plant and each berry has a single seed.

PROBLEMS:  Does not like wet feet and will succumb to several root rot fungus.  Brown scale, mites, black vine weevil, soft scales, and does not like heavy strong winds. 

This smallish dark and tightly built evergreen, a symbol of death and doom, is also called the Guardian of the graveyard. It is one of Europe’s longest living trees, full of character as each individual specimen has beautifully fissured and contorted branches, and often has uncovered  roots. In a churchyard in Wales, there is a yew that has been dated as over 5,100 years old. In other words, it was planted before the great pyramids of Giza were built. 

We know the yew existed for a long time already as the oldest known artifact made from wood used yew.  It’s the Clacton Spear which dates from the Paleolithic era – 400,000 years ago- and is one of the first wooden instruments ever discovered.  

To ancient civilizations, the yew was a symbol of death. In Christianity, it is often accepted as the tree of resurrection, maybe due to its longevity.

What many don’t know is that every part of this tree is poisonous, except for the red flesh of its berries which many birds, especially thrush, love. Its poison has passed into history: Cativolcus, chief of the Eburones, poisoned himself with yew rather than submit to Rome; In Spain, the Cantabrians when under siege by the legate Gaius Furnius in 22 BC, took their lives either by sword, fire, or a poison extracted ex arboribus taxeis-  and – when the Astures were besieged at Mons Medullius, they preferred to die by yew poison rather than surrender.

The wood of the yew is also very strong, yet flexible. For that reason it was often used for long-bows which led Henry the IV in the late XIV century to allow his agents to enter private land to cut down yews for arms. Maybe that’s why Shakespeare called it the “double fatal yew” in his play Richard II. 

Many people do not find the yew interesting but this ancient, morbid, and toxic tree also is associated with hope and revival and provides food and shelter for woodland animals. Yew hedges are incredibly dense, offering protection and nesting opportunities for many birds who also like the bright red flesh of the yew seed and the leaves are eaten by caterpillars of the satin beauty moth.

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Roelkey Family Crypt (Area R/Lot 96)

Roelkey Family Crypt

The original Latin term that eventually gave us the word “crypt” usually refers to vaulted buildings constructed at least partially beneath ground level. John Roelkey, Jr. (1823-1897) and son Joseph Roelkey (1865-1931) were the purchasers of this above ground crypt that serves as the resting spot, and final home, to themselves and 9 other Roelkey family members. This is one of only two private, family crypts on the outer grounds. The other is the Whitehill crypt, only 50 yards to the northeast in Area F (located across the driveway from the grave of James H. Gambrill). 

Southern Magnolia

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COMMON NAME:  Southern Magnolia

LATIN NAME:  Magnolia grandiflora

COMMON CULTIVARS:  ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, ‘Edith Bogue’, ‘Augustifolia’, ‘Little Gem’, ‘Exmouth’, ‘Goliath’

NICKNAME:  Magnolia Grandiflora, Bull Bay, Large Tree Magnolia

NATIVE TO:  Southeastern United States

DESCRIPTION:  Large evergreen tree growing to 90 feet tall and 50 foot wide.  Strong straight trunk resulting in hard heavy lumber.  Used widely in home gardens as a favorite ornamental tree.

SHAPE:  Pyramidal shape with large glossy leaves and spreading branches making for a dense growing evergreen.

LEAVES:  Large heavy dark green glossy leaves, 5-7 inches long and 3-5 inches wide.  Simple, broadly ovate, stiff, and leathery.

FLOWERS:  Large showy white lemon scented flowers, 10-12 inches in diameter.  Will have 6-12 petals with green sepals enclosing the flower.  (Called Tepals) Self-pollination is not desirable because of mutations so the stigmas are protected by tough carpels so that beetles can cross pollinate with pollen from other trees. Tepals will close on beetles to ensure cross pollination

FRUIT:  Spherical 3 inch long, 2-inch-wide rose colored woody structure sitting inside the flower.  Bright red seeds are enclosed.  Trees set seed at 10 years of age and will have 50 % germination.

PROBLEMS:  Algal Leaf Spot, Canker, Wood Rot, False oleander Scale, Borers, Sap Suckers, and Sooty Mold.

This gorgeous evergreen flowering tree is named after its enormous, beautiful, and fragrant blooms: Magnolia Grandiflora. The family of “Magnolia” was so named by the Swedish botanist Carl Linneaus in 1737 in honor of the French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715). This particular species is also called Bull Bay, probably after the Bay in North Carolina although there’s one of the same name in Jamaica and one in Wales.

Magnolias are one of the most primitive plants in evolutionary history. Fossil records show that magnolias existed in Europe, North America, and Asia over 100 million years ago, but today they are indigenous only in Southern China and the Southern United States. There are about 80 species of magnolia of which roughly half are tropical. 

While it is a cousin of the tulip tree, it is much smaller in stature, growing less than 80 feet tall. Its glossy dark green leaves have a brownish color underneath, add to that its huge white blooms, it is a tree of beautiful contrast. Many wreaths and Christmas decorations take advantage of the longevity- even after cutting – of this contrasting foliage. The Grandiflora has huge fragrant white flowers of up to 8-12” diameter, usually with six petals, blooming in late spring, with sparse continued flowering throughout the summer. The flowers give way to spherical cone-like fruiting clusters (to 3-5” long) that mature in late summer to early fall, releasing individual rose-red coated seeds suspended on slender threads at maturity. These fruit look impressive and are also edible – they’re usually a little too tart for eating fresh, but it can be used for unique preserves, relishes, and sauces.

This showy evergreen also provides shelter and food for many animals, including native birds (doves, woodpeckers, quails, wild turkeys) and small mammals. Appropriate for this Southern Beauty, it is the state tree for Mississippi and featured on the newly revised flag since 2021.

The County Champion Magnolia Grandiflora is growing right in front of the Church Tree Garage – this is actually quite nice because it hides the ugly garage but especially because one can see and smell the magnificent flowers relatively close up when climbing the stairs.

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Founders Garden

Founders Garden

This area is known as Founders Garden because it was the site of the opening ceremonies for Mount Olivet back in May, 1854. A monument here pays homage to seven local churches who joined together in supporting the idea for the new, joint burying ground to better serve the needs of the community.

Observation Tower

Speaking of trees, this is the highest elevation in downtown Frederick. At the turn of the century, visitors could further attain a tree-top like view of the famed “clustered spires” and surrounding countryside from an observation tower built here for the purpose and located over the cemetery’s pumphouse. Using gravity, the pumphouse supplied water to various points of the original cemetery property through a series of troughs and gutters thus allowing patrons to care for flowers and other plantings at loved ones’ graves.

Potts Lot (Area G/Lots 47-58)

Potts Lot

Yards north of Founders Garden is Mount Olivet’s only “gated community” known as the Potts Lot. The name comes from the large number of family members of former politician Richard Potts who are buried here. One can also find the graves of Francis Scott Key’s parents—Capt. John Ross Key and wife Anne. Capt. Key (1754-1821) was a veteran of the American Revolution and was at Yorktown in 1781 to witness British Gen. Cornwallis’ surrender to Gen. George Washington.  


Civil War Veterans

Speaking of early war veterans, Mount Olivet’s Confederate Row which can be seen in the distance behind the Potts Lot. Here are gravesites of 700+ Southern soldiers who died in Frederick during the American Civil War period from illness and/or wounds received at nearby battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Monocacy.

Norway Maple

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COMMON NAME:  Norway Maple

LATIN NAME:  Acer plantanoides

COMMON CULTIVAR:  ‘Crimson King’, ‘Royal Red’, ‘Emerald Queen’, ‘Schwedler’, ‘Drummond’, ‘Dissectum’, ‘Prigold’, ‘Lorberg’

NICKNAME:  No known nickname

NATIVE TO:  Eastern and Central Europe and Western Asia

DESCRIPTION:  Non- native invasive shade tree because of its ability to heavily propagate and withstand shady conditions. Sometimes confused with Sugar Maple however the sap in the twigs is milky white compared to Sugar Maple which has clear sap.

SHAPE: Tree has a broad, round, dense, crown that is usually wider that tall.  Can reach heights of 70-90 feet.  Trunk is fairly straight with smooth bark.  Sugar maples have flakier bark.

LEAVES:  As with all maples, they have opposite branching and leaves have 5 lobes with coarsely pointed ends.  Palmate leaves are 3-5 inches long and 3-9 inches wide.  Margins are smooth and pointed ends have 1-3 side teeth. 

FLOWERS:  Yellow-Green clusters of 15-30 flowers on long stems that grow to keep single flowers at same height.  Eash has 5 sepals and 5 petals.  

FRUIT:  Double Samaras (Helicopters) 1.5 – 2 inch long with single seed in the end of each samara.  Tree is dioecious (male and female parts on different trees) but they can change gender from year to year.  Occasionally they can have both sexes on same tree.

PROBLEMS:  Girdling roots, Moth larvae, Norway Maple Seed Minor, Powderly Mildew, Mites, Verticillium Wilt, and Tar Spot.

There are more than 100 maple species (“Acer”) and countless cultivars. Many of them are bred for their graceful shape and attractive foliage and they vary in size from North American 100 foot tall giants to slow growing bonsai trees, cultivated in Japan. The Norway maple comes from…you guessed it, Norway, where they grow as far north as Tromsǿ which is located over 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle – making this the hardiest maple of all. This species of maple is native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to North America in the mid-1700s as a shade tree and is quite similar to the sugar maple but won’t grow to its full 100 foot height and stay closer to 65 feet. Norway maples have simple, green, and opposite leaves - usually are broader than they are high, about four to seven inches wide, with five prominent lobes. The bark of a Norway maple is grayish black and furrowed. Both present beautiful fall leaf colors. Both the sugar and Norway maples offer strong resistant lumber and are historically used for dance floors for this reason. However the sugar maple (you may guess this by its name) is sweeter and when it comes to maple syrup is much preferred over the Norway maple where the ratio is supposed to be 60 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup, whereas the sugar maple provides one gallon of syrup from every 40 gallons of sap. You can get syrup out of most maples, some boxelders, birches and even nut trees and others if you try hard enough. But is it worth the effort...?

Traditionally, Indigenous people have used maple syrup to cure meats, as a sweetener for bitter medicines, and as an anesthetic. The gathering of syrup from maple trees in the woodlands of Canada and the northeastern United States is an ancient practice that helped sustain Indigenous peoples for thousands of years – especially during the end of winter when vegetables were used up and new growth hasn’t leafed out yet. Maple sugar also contains nutritious minerals, including phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium to help animals and humans across the spring threshold. Maple syrup was also used as a trade item in the form of dried, portable sugar slabs. After Europeans arrived in the 1600s, they learned from Indigenous people how to turn the sap into sweet and medicinal products.

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Richard Baumgardner (1908-1976) (Area A/Lot 42)

Gravestone 

Richard Baumgardner

Baumgardner—Do you know what this last name means in German? Answer: Tree Gardener 

Musician

Richard Bruner Baumgardner was born in 1908, spending his childhood and young adulthood in Frederick. An aspiring musician and vocalist, Richard began making a name for himself eventually gaining fame as a radio host and orchestra leader. He can be found singing on a song released in 1929 on Victor Records and entitled "Tain’t No Sin (To Dance Around In Your Bones).” This old ditty was a staple hit during the “fox trot” dance craze of the time, and is credited to the George Olsen Music Orchestra. Richard provides the “vocal refrain” under the moniker of Dick Gardner. He also somehow picked up the nickname of “Hot Cha” along the way.

Peter Pan Inn

The true “claim to fame” for this Baumgardner had nothing (well maybe a little) to do with the arborist profession, but everything to do with hospitality. Richard’s mother Grace, also buried here in this lot, would start a restaurant in Urbana in 1926 that lasted for 60 years, attracting diners from near and far. This was the Peter Pan Inn, and Richard would help his mother grow the establishment over the years, including a dazzling array of glitz, glamour and gaudiness with plenty of plants and even trees thrown in for decoration. 

Conclusion

Growing Forward

Mount Olivet humbly invites you to help them in their mission to educate and inform visitors while preserving the amazing history and monuments associated with this precious “garden cemetery.” Consider joining the Friends of Mount Olivetmembership group and/or, donating to the Mount Olivet Preservation and Enhancement Fund. Fittingly, one such enhancement is the acquisition, and planting, of more trees here on our hallowed grounds. For more information, pick up a brochure or visit MountOlivetHistory.com