Last of Court Street Sycamore Trees Scheduled for Removal June 24
Last of the 1950s effort to replace diseased American Elms
The Court Street Sycamore Tree is facing its final days. Old and tired, its upper branches brittle and bare, the tree dates back to the Chestertown beautification efforts in the 1950s, led by the late Mayor Philip Wilmer, who served from 1935 to 1963, and benefactress Louisa Carpenter.
The Sycamores were to replace the Town’s American Elms ravaged by Dutch Elm Disease.
The Chestertown Tree Committee recently determined the tree to be dying and hazardous—and scheduled it for removal on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 by Bartlett Tree Service.
Court Street will be closed to traffic during the procedure. Parked cars should be moved.
For well over a century, Chestertown has invested time and treasure to maintain and improve its street trees—and to increase the town’s canopy.
“The American Elms were all planted in the early 1900s. The Ladies Improvement Society under Mrs. (Etta Belle) Hubbard's indefatigable prodding had them planted. When most of them died off, they were replaced by Sycamores,” explained Cynthia Saunders, longtime Queen Street resident and Tree Committee member.
Saunders noted that the Queen Street Elm at 109 N. Queen Street is a venerable and Dutch Elm Disease resistant survivor.
Saunders recalled at least three Sycamores on Court Street. In recent years, three Sycamores in the 200 block of High Street, three on S. Queen Street, and two on Cannon Street across from original site of Worrell’s Tavern were removed in the past decade.
“The Sycamores were all mature trees when I came here to college in 1964,” Saunders remembered. “I can remember the pungent odor of the dried leaves crackling underfoot as we walked to Ye Old Coffee Shoppe.”
In 1981, Mayor Elmer E. Horsey passed a tree ordinance that began the effort to achieve Tree City USA designation. The Tree City USA designation signifies that Chestertown meets the Arbor Day Foundation’s urban forestry management standards. Chestertown has been recognized with that moniker for 43 years, making it one of the two longest-participating towns in Maryland. The program is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
