HomeConnecticut’s Notable Trees

Photos

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225925-Whipping Post Elm, Litchfield, CT 1947.JPG

Photo courtesy of Connecticut Historical Society

Photo by Unkown (Jul 1, 1947)

Identity

Scientific NameUlmus americana
Common NameAmerican Elm
Nickname“Whipping Post Elm”
TownLitchfield
ID225925
AliveNo — this tree is dead

Measurements

Circumference141 in
Height—
Average Spread—

Location

AddressLitchfield CT

Remarks

From Matthies: "This tree, standing at the corner of North and West Streets, near the county jail, was used as the whipping post as late as 1815. When the official whippings took place, the tree was small enough to the the culprit's arms stretched around it and his hands were tied together. It now has a circumference of eleven feet, nine inches, at a height of four feet above the ground."

Notes

This is a historic tree.

This is a tree noted in Matthies' book.