Site of the Washington Elm - Cambridge, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 22.587 W 071° 07.280
19T E 325351 N 4693754
Though the bronze plaque that the book references not found, a stone tablet was found, instead, that marks the location where General George Washington took command of the Continental Army.
Waymark Code: WM7PWE
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2009
Views: 9
On the Cambridge Common, near the Garden Street Side, there is a series of stone and bronze markers, along with cannons and a flag pole.
In the American Series Guide for Massachusetts, the text has the following to say about the event:
11. The Site of the Washington Elm, under which Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775, is marked by a circular plaque, bordered by cobblestones.
- American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to Its Places and People, p. 194.
There is a cobblestone area that has markers, and a cannon, but a circular bronze marker was not found. There is a marker about the cannons and others closer to the road honor past officers of Polish descent. One of these markers, a stone marker on the edge of the cobblestone area, by a small tree, states:
"Under this tree, Washington first took command of the Continental Army July 3rd, 1775." Another bronze marker has a relief showing General Washington on a horse, under a tree, inspecting his troops, and had the inscription:
"General George Washington, having taken command of the Army of the United Colonies at Cambridge, inspects the troops near this spot on the fourth day of July in 1775."
But, the stone marker marks the supposed location and should be considered the same location as mentioned in the book. The tree beside this stone marker is small, and would definitely not have been the tree that Washington stood under.
Come by and ponder all of the markers here!
Book: Massachusetts
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 194
Year Originally Published: 1937
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