March 31, 1979 Old Apple Trees

Dewitt’s Diary Saturday, March 31, 1979

Temperature 50, cloudy. Rain a very little. Trimmed the old sweet harvest apple and the old king tree.

Trees are both hollow and old. Been around longer than I.

In the Spring of 1979 Dewitt was 80 years old. The trees were planted by his grandfather Jared Bassett who built the house in the 1850s, or by his own father, prior to Dewitt’s birth in 1899.

During the ice storm in 1936 Dewitt recorded the loss of trees. March 19, 1936 [Ice storm on the 18^th] Trees are entirely stripped of limbs, except some evergreens. Millions of dollars’ damage. Terrible floods. The lakes are up to last July 10 floods. Took some pictures of ice on everything today. Ice is melting just a little. My old orchard is gone, also across the road.