The Centennial Elm was planted in Elm Square on July 4, 1876 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our country's birth. Considering it was supposed to last for generations, it disappeared in an historical blink of the eye.

Daniel Cummings, well known for his knowledge of trees, was asked to find a suitable elm. His two favorites were planted on the same day in 1865 to commemorate the end of the Civil War.

One was on his property and the other on adjacent land owned by William Henry Foster on Salem Street. Cummings preferred the Foster tree, and it became the Centennial Elm. Cummings graciously replaced Foster's tree with his own elm.

The planting of the Centennial Elm was accompanied by an all day ceremony that began with the booming of cannons and ringing of bells. The pure tone of the new Centennial Bell in the chapel on the Andover Theological Seminary was heard for the first time. (When the seminary left Andover, P.A. purchased their buildings.) Following the bell ringing was a Horribles Parade that ended where the Centennial Elm was to be transplanted in Elm Square. From photos I've seen, the tree was placed close to the center of Elm Square, perhaps a little to the southwest.

At 8:30 a.m., George F. Wright, the pastor of Free Church, gave the keynote speech saying, "We plant here a tree which 100 years from now our children and children's children will see as a symbol of hope in which our nation may abide. The hope of our nation lies not in the paternal hand of centralized authority but in allowing the utmost liberty to her well-meaning citizens."

After watching the planting, the people in attendance marched to Indian Ridge Grove. The veterans of the War of 1812 rode in carriages, and the steam fire engines of Andover, North Andover, Ballardvale, and Marland Village, were elaborately decorated and followed. There were 2,000 people at the grove, and the afternoon was spent dancing and playing sports. In the evening there were fireworks.

As years went by, the elm grew big and healthy, becoming a key landmark. At one time it had a small booth next to it, at another, benches around its trunk.

Ninety years ago, at the beginning of December 1919, just as the Centennial Elm was in its prime, it was destroyed because it was a "traffic hazard." Thoughts of transplanting the tree were given up when it was explained that the odds of survival weren't good and the cost would be $150. The Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS) had met a month earlier, and it was noted at the beginning of the meeting that enthusiasm for village improvement was at its lowest ebb in years. Later in the meeting, the Centennial Elm was discussed, and it was agreed that it was a traffic hazard and sentimentality over the tree wasn't worth a person's life lost in a accident.

An explanation of the perspective of the year 1919 helps to explain how little thought was given to the tree's removal. World War I ended three weeks before, with 9 million troops killed worldwide and 22,000 wounded. Worse, although almost finished, the Great Influenza (also called the "Spanish Flu") was roaming the world taking 50 million lives. Hardly anyone in Andover was unaffected. These two tragic, historical events changed our perspective and devalued such things as tree sentimentality.

"Andover What It Was What It Is," published by the Andover Townsman on Andover's tercentennial in 1946, had the last word saying, "Deprived of its elm tree, Elm Square was also deprived of its beauty."

Bill Dalton writes a weekly column for the Andover Townsman and can be reached at billdalton@andovertownie.com.