Near Norris in Anderson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Trigonia Elm
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 18, 2024
1. Trigonia Elm Marker
Inscription.
Trigonia Elm. . The TRIGONIA ELM, a slice of which stands beside you here, was declared to be the largest American Elm in the United States (and probably in the world) on page 39 of The NEW YORKER Magazine for July 15, 1961. It was called the Trigonia Elm because it grew in a small community known as Trigonia, an area where three counties "cornered." Folk in all three counties, Blount, Monroe, and Loudon, have claimed the tree for their county, but Carson Brewer placed it in Blount County in articles he wrote for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Brewer said "Naturalists and foresters have estimated the tree to be 400 to 500 years old." In his August 13, 1961 article, he wrote: "The American Forestry Association's register of big trees, from which The NEW YORKER writer probably got his statistics, lists the girth of this elm at 24 feet and seven inches," with a "147 foot spread." In an article in 1979, Brewer made reference to a slightly larger elm having been found in Kentucky. TVA cut the tree in 1980 after acquiring the land it stood on as part of its Tellico Dam Project purchases. Lightning had struck the tree some time previously, scarring it with mortal blows.
The TRIGONIA ELM, a slice of which stands beside you here, was declared to be the largest American Elm in the United States (and probably in the world) on page 39 of The NEW YORKER Magazine for July 15, 1961. It was called the Trigonia Elm
because it grew in a small community known as Trigonia, an area where three counties "cornered." Folk in all three counties, Blount, Monroe, and Loudon, have claimed the tree for their county, but Carson Brewer placed it in Blount County in articles he wrote for the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Brewer said "Naturalists and foresters have estimated the tree to be 400 to 500 years old." In his August 13, 1961 article, he wrote: "The American Forestry Association's register of big trees, from which The NEW YORKER writer probably got his statistics, lists the girth of this elm at 24 feet and seven inches," with a "147 foot spread."
In an article in 1979, Brewer made reference to a slightly larger elm having been found in Kentucky.
TVA cut the tree in 1980 after acquiring the land it stood on as part of its Tellico Dam Project purchases. Lightning had struck the tree some time previously, scarring it with mortal blows.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 1961.
Location. 36° 12.793′ N, 84°
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4.402′ W. Marker is near Norris, Tennessee, in Anderson County. It is on Lower Clear Creek Road east of U.S. 441, on the right when traveling east. Maker is located at the Crosby Threshing Barn in Norris Dam State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norris TN 37828, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in Greater Knoxville. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
More about this marker. This marker is located on the outside porch of the Caleb Crosby Threshing Barn.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 18, 2024
2. Trigonia Elm Marker
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 18, 2024
3. Trigonia Elm Marker & Crosby Threshing Barn
Marker is located on the left corner of the Caleb Crosby Threshing Barn porch.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 299 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 21, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
