When horse-drawn wagons were plying York Road and telephones and electric lights were relative novelties, a copper beech tree was sending its roots deep into the rich earth. That was even before Prospect Hill Cemetery had been established in 1892 on the 8-acre spit of land, just north of the Towson business district.
For well more than a century, the tree has stood sentinel over the terminal destination of families long associated with Baltimore County history — Ridgelys, Parkers, Hillens, Jarretts, Campbells and Baynes — and of Harris Glenn Milstead, the actor made famous by director John Waters and better known as Divine.
Now thought to be 130 to 150 years old, the landmark towers at 80 feet tall, with a crown of 70 feet. But it has come to the end of its life, a victim of disease and the vicissitudes of time. Excel Tree Experts are to remove it on Nov. 18.
Read full article: An ‘iconic’ tree has stood watch for 130+ years at a historic Towson cemetery. It meets its end — and a rebirth — Baltimore Sun
