From the Archives: Toppled Tree

Published March 26, 2020

A wet snowstorm in April 2003 toppled the beloved 19th-century Cedar of Lebanon tree at Prospect House. Princeton’s campus has more than 400 species of trees. Do you have a favorite? Let us know at paw@princeton.edu.

2 Responses

Alison Amonette ’73

4 Years Ago

A Reminder of Home

When I made the long trip to Princeton in the fall of 1969 from the San Francisco Bay Area, I felt very out of place as a Californian and a woman. I was thrilled to find a small redwood tree near Prospect. It was my one link to home, and I made a point of walking there every day to and from my room in Pyne Hall. I was distraught when it subsequently lost its needles and was evidently dying — to be followed by new needles in the spring. Who knew there was a deciduous redwood?

When I visited Princeton for She Roars in the fall of 2018, I stopped by to see my redwood. It continues to thrive. Although there are many beautiful trees at Princeton, including those magnolias in Pyne Courtyard, and the dawn redwood is a very common tree outside of California, this one will always be special.

Editor’s note: Nancy Cosentino w’56 also answered PAW’s April 8 call for stories about campus trees, highlighting a weeping beech near Blair Arch.

Nancy Cosentino w’56

4 Years Ago

A Favorite Tree

This weeping beech next to Blair Arch and along the path to the Art Museum is my favorite campus tree.

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