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All the United States Maryland Bethesda The Linden Oak
The Linden Oak is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

The Linden Oak

This mighty white oak in Bethesda survived both the American Revolution and the construction of Washington D.C.'s metro red line.

Bethesda, Maryland

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Ian Hall
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The Linden Oak   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
The Linden Oak   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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Linden Oak plaque rock.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby rock adorned with a plaque honoring The Linden Oak.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Standing at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Beach Drive is a tree known to locals as The Linden Oak. It is one of the largest oaks (Quercus Alba) in the state of Maryland and the largest in Montgomery County. Estimates indicate that this towering specimen seeded in 1718, meaning that it is over 300 years old.

In addition to being on the scene nearly 50 years before the American Revolution, the Linden Oak dodged another brush with death in 1973, when the western portion of the Washington Metro was being constructed.  Former city council member and state senator Idamae Garrott lobbied to push the construction of the Grosvenor Metro Station slightly westward to save the tree in 1973.

Garrott's legacy lives on with one of three memorial plaques in the area near the Linden Oak recounting her heroic activism in saving the tree. Another plaque placed by the Maryland Centennial Commission and the Maryland Forest Service recognizes the tree as Maryland's bicentennial tree. A third plaque recounts the tree surviving the American Revolution and predating George Washington's birth by 25 years.

Update as of July 18, 2023: The Liden Oak has been removed due to being in poor health. The onsite plaques are still present, and a part of it was carved into a bench, which can be found at Ken-Gar Palisades Park in Kensington, Maryland.

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American Revolution Trees History & Culture Activism

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Added By

blimpcaptain

Edited By

bachrach44, dannyhems, Runawaydc, greensii

  • bachrach44
  • dannyhems
  • Runawaydc
  • greensii

Published

July 20, 2021

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Sources
  • https://www.fox5dc.com/news/300-year-old-linden-oak-tree-being-removed-from-bethesda-due-to-poor-health
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linden_Oak
  • https://historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMEQU_the-linden-oak_Bethesda-MD.html
The Linden Oak
Grosvenor Lane and Beach Dr
Bethesda, Maryland, 20814
United States
39.022453, -77.102358
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Grosvenor Estate Moon Tree

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Pauli Bellet Foundation

Kensington, Maryland

miles away

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bethesda

Bethesda

Maryland

Places 9

Nearby Places

Grosvenor Estate Moon Tree

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Pauli Bellet Foundation

Kensington, Maryland

miles away

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bethesda

Bethesda

Maryland

Places 9

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