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Washington Elm, Cambridge, MA, 1905

Subjects
Historic TreesPatriotic
Card type
Lithograph
Date
c. 1905 (Early)
Front of Washington Elm, Cambridge, MA, 1905, c. 1905 lithograph postcard
Front
Back of Washington Elm, Cambridge, MA, 1905, c. 1905 lithograph postcard
Back

About this postcard

The Washington Elm fills the view in full leaf, with a small inscribed tablet at its base and a figure standing on a path nearby. Tradition held that George Washington took command of the Continental Army under this tree on July 3, 1775, and it became a patriotic landmark in Cambridge. The aging elm declined and fell in 1923, after which pieces of its wood were distributed as relics.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

I am having a lovely time from. J.E.R.

567. WASHINGTON ELM, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
PostmarkedBoston, MA, December 19, 1905
Stamp
Addressed to
Miss Charlotte Harratt

Sparhawk St. Amesbury, MA

Postcard record

Postmarked, Boston, MA
Series567
ConditionGood
Place addressedMiss Charlotte Harratt, Sparhawk St., Amesbury, MA
Place depictedWashington Elm, Cambridge, MA
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, issued 1930, perforated on all sides
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, perforated on all sides
NotesWhite margin at right carries the printed caption in red; handwritten message on the front margin; scan is rotated 90 degrees. Visible halftone dot pattern and light edge/corner wear. Postmark: BOSTON MASS. DEC 19 1905 plus CAMBRIDGE A STATION machine cancel. Undivided back with "THIS SIDE FOR THE ADDRESS."; 1¢ green Franklin stamp; light soiling/edge wear.

Cite this card

Washington Elm, Cambridge, MA, 1905, postcard, c. 1905. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/washington-elm-cambridge-ma-1905. Accessed November 2, 2026.