07 & 08 – Twin Oaks
How to Find Witness Trees 07 and 08
Witness Trees 07 and 08 are impossible to miss: they stand practically on West Confederate Avenue, just to the south of the Pegram Battalion tablet. In fact, they used to be on the road, surrounded by concrete; but sometime in the early 20th century, the road was repaved to curve around them, and the trees themselves granted a small patch of grass.
Then-and-Now Comparison
The two trees appear in an old photograph which was published in William Storrick’s 1931 book, Gettysburg: The Place, the Battle, the Outcome. The photo was taken facing north on West Confederate Avenue. All of Witness Tree 08 is visible, while Witness Tree 07 rises directly behind it; not completely out of view, Tree 07 curves sharply to the east and then back again, thus making it not entirely invisible.
Witness Tree 08 is a smaller tree than its neighbor; with a trunk diameter of 28.5″, it is a slow grower: closely compare the diameter of Tree 08 as it appears in the modern photo with that a century ago. It barely seems to be growing at all. Thus we can confidently conclude this tree to be not only a witness tree, but actually likely over 220 years old.
We cannot make a direct estimate of the age Witness Tree 07, since no clear photograph exists of it from early last century; the best we can do is this 1931 shot. That Tree 07 is also a slow-grower we can judge. Luckily, this tree is significantly larger than its mate – its circumference is a foot longer, and its diameter 4 inches wider, than Tree 08. Consequently, we can easily reckon that Tree 08 is also a witness tree.
Witness Tree 09, a hickory, can also be seen in Storrick’s photograph.
Other Photos
A wicked scar, perhaps from a lightning strike, mars the bark of Witness Tree 07’s north side.
