THERE’S A NEW TREE ON THE BLOCK, and it’s possible that it is the only one of its kind in the Town. It’s an American Elm, a.k.a. White Elm, and is reputed to be more disease resistant than its earlier relatives.
The elm, which has a two-inch diameter trunk and stands about eight feet tall, was donated to Hawley by Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB) as part of the Bank’s Sesquicentennial celebration. GSB has been in business for 150 years.
While Town Clerk Pam Shrimpton was notified about the availability of the tree some time ago, Town Officials were stumped for a while about where to put it. Some time later it was determined that the best place to plant it would be in the Hawley Grove-Meeting House area on East Hawley Road, under the watchful eyes of the Sons and Daughters of Hawley.
With Administrative Assistant Cass Nawrocki handling the behind-the-scenes details, the Elm was planted there by Snow & Sons of Greenfield, who equipped it with guy wires and a water bag. A plaque, which commemorates GSB’s Sesquicentennial, is to be found in the ground a few feet from the tree.
In the old days, American Elms would often grew to 100′ tall and live from 150 to 400 years, so this is a gift to be enjoyed by many generations of Hawleyites.
