THE LAFAYETTE ELM, page 139, Chase History of Ware

"This superb tree stands on the road from Ware to Palmer, south-west of Ware Village. It is thought to be about three hundred years old. Its shadow at noon is one hundred and twelve feet in diameter, and the trunk is nearly twenty feet in circumference. Its perfect con­tour, together with its remarkable size, attracts the attention of every passer-by."

The Lafayette Elm, page 88, Historic Trees of Massachusetts (1919) by James Raymond Simmons

"Among those few trees which,in point of size, may be called elms of the first class, is the Lafayette Elm. This tree is situated southwest of the village of Ware, on the road to Palmer, and is twenty feet, seven inches in circumference, seventy-five feet in height, and one hundred and ten feet in the spread of its branches."
"In general appearance, the tree is slightly over-developed on the east side, one limb stretching in this direction for more than sixty-five feet."

MISCELLANY, page 101, Conkey History of Ware

"In one of the worst storms of the season, on July 19, 1923, the Lafayette Elm which had stood just north of the Three Mile Bridge, was blown down. It had been regarded as the most perfectly shaped elm tree for miles around, and was estimated to have had a life span of 320 years. These measure­ments are indicative of its great size: height, 75 feet; circum­ference of the trunk at the base, about 20 feet; diameter, 7 feet; shadow at noon, 112 feet in circumference.

A picture of the tree had been used by Frederick E. Zeissig on his bill­heads. A neighbor, Eli C. Demers of Bacon Road, utilized some of the wood to fashion a parlor set for his home.

A little over a year after the fall of this giant, the one hundredth anni­versary of General Lafayette's entrance into Massachusetts, on his tour of the United States, was noted in the New York papers. In journeying to Boston in 1824, the General was reported to have rested under this elm, thus accounting for its name. As he resumed his passage, he addressed the Ware citi­zens in front of the old tavern, located where the Hitchcock block was later built.

It is interesting to note that a portion of this tavern was sold to John H. Storrs by Calvin Hitchcock for $300, and that the building was moved to Parker Street where it now stands. Mrs. Mary S. Ibershoff, daughter of Mr. Storrs, has the receipt for this transaction. The remain­ing section of the tavern is believed to have been moved to the vicinity of the Otis Company canal."