01 Fairfield Road Tree

How to Find Witness Tree 01

Street View of Witness Tree 01

This tree stands on the southeast corner where West Confederate Avenue intersects the Fairfield Road and West Middle Street.

When you enter West Confederate Avenue, you will see a pulloff on the right side of the road about 50 yards from the traffic light. Park here and walk back to the intersection. On the southeast corner you will see the monument to Company D of the 149th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Witness Tree 01 is right behind the monument.

What This Tree Witnessed

Upon the catastrophic defeat of the assaults of July 3 by the division of Generals George Pickett and James Pettigrew, General Lee ordered his army to form a fortified line along the entire length of Seminary Ridge. Here by this tree, elements of General A.P. Hill’s corps used fence rails to construct breastworks to protect the army from a potential attack from Meade’s army.

Witness Tree 01 Statistics

Tree Species: white oak
Circumference 2024: 96”
Diameter: 30.5”
Estimated age: 220-240 years
Estimated diameter in 1863: 8-10”

Then-and Now-Comparisons

A. The earliest known photograph of Witness Tree 01 was taken in 1897 by the well-known Gettysburg photographer William Tipton. The photo captures the original monument to Company D of the 149th Pennsylvania. This monument was later replaced by the current granite memorial which faces West Confederate Avenue instead. Note how label “A” marks a small rock which can be matched up in the two pictures. (From the author’s William Tipton collection)

B. In the mid-1930s, the National Park Service took a photograph of the point where West Confederate Avenue intersects the Fairfield Road and West Middle Street. The picture is facing east, from the Fairfield Road. West Confederate Avenue extends to the right (southward). Witness Tree 01 can be seen standing behind the monument to Company D of the 149th Pennsylvania. Note how cluttered the intersection was with signs already a century ago. The tree labeled “B” appears to be a match between the two pictures. I will have to investigate the possibility of this also being a witness tree. (Historical photo courtesy of NPS, GNMP, Museum Collection, Gett #41135, SF-22R-032)

C. This is a cropped view of the same 1936-8 comparison shown in Photo B. Witness Tree 01 is a very slow grower indeed, as is typical of the white oaks on the battlefield.

Other Photographs and Fun Facts

About 10 feet above the ground, an old bronze identification tag was nailed into the trunk of Witness Tree 01 at some distant point in the hazy past. Despite extensive research, the purpose of the tags remains unknown. It is also unknown who placed this tag (and others like it) on trees around the battlefield, or when they were placed.

The beautiful Shultz House stands behind Witness Tree 01. THIS HOUSE IS PRIVATELY OWNED. PLEASE DO NOT TRESPASS ON THE PROPERTY.