The Women Who Planted The Cherry Trees on the National Mall
The women who planted the cherry trees on the national mall
The cherry trees on the National Mall have more than 100 years of rich and vibrant history. At the root of their story are a few powerful and trailblazing women who have changed the National Mall environment to how we know it today.
As our community comes together to celebrate the cherry blossom season, the Trust for the National Mall is celebrating Women’s History Month, recognizing the women who aligned their strengths to enrich the National Mall with our iconic cherry trees.
Eliza Scidmore
The iconic Japanese cherry trees on the National Mall would not be here today without the provocation of travel journalist Eliza Scidmore – who became the first female board member of National Geographic Society in 1880.
Scidmore first visited Japan in 1885, and later wrote, “the blooming cherry tree is the most ideally, wonderfully beautiful tree that nature has to show, and its short-lived glory makes the enjoyment the keener and more poignant.” For 24 years, Scidmore proposed the cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac flats that were dredged at that time until 1890. These mudflats, or tidal wetlands, were located behind the then incomplete Washington Monument and currently West Potomac Park.
Her intuitive idea for the evolving National Mall landscape was in agreement with David Fairchild, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official. Fairchild had planted 100 cherry trees on his estate in Maryland, and the vision for the agricultural land in the heart of D.C. was shared. Scidmore wrote to First Lady Helen Taft and the former first lady supported the journalist’s passion for the planting of the cherry trees.
The cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin are known today as symbol of a unity between the United States and Japan. Scidmore had known Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine, who was visiting Washington D.C. at the time of the first lady’s idea, and he proposed to donate 2,000 of the cherry trees from Japan.
The proposal developed with a Japanese general consul and the trees became a formal gift from the mayor of Tokyo, Japan. Although the first 2,000 trees were diseased and were burned on the National Mall, in 1910 the city of Tokyo gifted more than 3,000 saplings, which arrived in 1912.
Sources:
https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/eliza-ruhamah-scidmore.aspx
https://www.history.com/news/the-drama-behind-100-years-of-washingtons-cherry-blossoms
First Lady Helen Taft
The first 3,000 cherry trees, and cherry trees thereafter along the Tidal Basin, would not be there today without the influence of former first lady Helen Taft.
Helen Taft had traveled extensively with William Taft, who was Secretary of War under president Theodore Roosevelt. The former first lady lived in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, and in Japan during Taft’s appointment who had gone on a goodwill tour. It was soon after Taft’s inauguration as the 27th President in 1909 that Helen Taft began considering plans for the development of the recently dredged Potomac flats, 720 new acres of federal parkland.
She was inspired by the parks in Manila and wanted to create a similar atmosphere for the residents of Washington D.C.:
“In her memoir, Helen Taft wrote that she wanted ‘to convert Potomac Park into a glorified Luneta where all Washington could meet, either on foot or in vehicles, at five o’clock on certain evenings, listen to band concerts and enjoy such recreation as no other spot in Washington could possibly afford.”
Travel journalist Eliza Scidmore had a vision as well for this new land and the man-made Tidal Basin. She wrote to Helen Taft encouraging her to plant Japanese cherry trees.
The White House, Washington April 7, 1909
Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this.
Sincerely yours,
Helen H. Taft
On March 27, 1912, first lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted two cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin.
The first two trees still stand at the terminus of 17th Street Southwest in Washington, DC. A bronze plaque commemorates those two trees that still bloom today.
Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/history-of-the-cherry-trees.htm
Mrs. Taft Plants a Tree: How the Cherry Blossoms Came to Washington
In the book Mrs Taft Plants a Tree: How the Cherry Blossoms Came to Washington, Ambassador John R. Malott, Past President, Japan-America Society of Washington DC, tells the story of the people who were involved, and how they came together to bring the trees to Washington.
“Over the years, we’ve all heard the story about how the trees came to Washington. “In 1912 the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, in a gesture of friendship, gave 3,000 Japanese cherry trees to Washington.” End of story. But the truth, like all stories, is a lot more complicated — and it’s also a lot more interesting. It involves some very fascinating people, whose lives and interests all connected in some way to bring the trees here.”tory online can make all the difference.
The Cherry Tree Rebellion
One of the most photographed sites in Washington, D.C. was once the source of resident controversy. The Jefferson Memorial Commission was established in 1934 and the final architect plans were drawn in 1938 –inspired by the Roman temple, the Pantheon. The Washington D.C. residents were concerned its enormity would prompt the removal of all the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.
The memorial was scaled in size, but the solution did not solve the blueprint design that would predictably uproot 600 cherry trees.
Newspapers were receiving furious letters to the editor about the inevitable, and there were city-wide protests. Eleanor Medill “Cissy” Patterson, owner of the Washington Times-Herald marched with 50 women to the White House with a petition to not build on the site of the cherry trees.
The following day on November 17, 1938, Patterson led the Cherry Tree Rebellion. Patterson was a “newspaper woman;” her grandfather owned the Chicago Tribune, and her brother founded the New York Daily News; her natural grit seemed to easily rouse the public:
“Roosevelt was giving a press briefing when aide Marvin McIntyre interrupted with a dispatch from the construction site: Women were padlocking themselves to the cherry trees. Others were wresting shovels from the workers’ hands and digging dirt back into the holes. Some reportedly stood, arms folded, in front of the bulldozers.”
Eventually the group of approximately 150 protestors left the construction site and construction would begin the following month to build the memorial to the United States’ third president.
The protestors across the city believed the cutting of the trees would devastate the beauty of around the Tidal Basin, but today the surrounding area is one of the most iconic and recognizable views in the United States. Their representation of unity was heard in the voices of the capital.
Sources:
The Cherry Tree Endowment
Because of trailblazers, diplomats, and friends like you, these trees stand as symbols of friendship and markers of activism from philanthropists and environmentalists alike. With Eliza Scidmore, Helen Taft, and the Cherry Tree Rebellion’s dedication to preserving and protecting the culture of Washington DC, the trees were brought to the city and help define the community and experience of the National Mall to the rest of the world!
Keeping them healthy and blooming requires year-round maintenance for optimal health and longevity, but current funds only allow for limited maintenance. Damage from weather, flooding, and foot traffic pose an ongoing threat to the trees. Approximately 90 trees need to be replaced each year and only a handful of the original 1912 cherry trees survive today.
The National Park Service (NPS) looks to the Trust for the National Mall to augment budgetary allowance to appropriately maintain the cherry trees and that is why we have partnered with the National Cherry Blossom Festival to launched the Endow a Cherry Tree Campaign with a goal to raise over $3.5 million to ensure their protection and long- term care and maintenance.
With your help, the trees will flourish for years to come. Join our mission on the National Mall with a gift to support the Cherry Tree Endowment today.