You probably didn’t know that Maryland’s oldest tree is Metro-accessible. It could have easily been sawdust without a shift in the Red Line.

The Linden Oak at center-right. The Metro viaduct at far left. Image from Google street view.

In the late 1970s, Metro planners moved the proposed alignment of the Red Line just south of Grosvenor station to fly above the median of Rockville Pike (MD 355) instead of running along the eastern side. That shift was to save what was then the second-oldest tree in Maryland, the Linden Oak.

In 2002, Maryland’s oldest tree, the Wye Oak, died at the ripe old age of 462 when it was felled in a thunderstorm. The death of that tree promoted the Linden Oak to oldest tree in the state. Today, the white oak is about 300 years old.

The tree’s champion was Montgomery County councilwoman Idamae Garrott, who successfully fought to get the proposed Metro tracks moved west.

Today, the Red Line tracks make an odd curve to the west after emerging from the subway and crossing the Beltway. After passing the Linden Oak, the tracks bend eastward to end up on the east side of Rockville Pike. Along the way, passengers on the right side of a northbound train can catch a glimpse of a tree older than the country.

Matt Johnson has lived in the Washington area since 2007. He has a Master’s in Planning from the University of Maryland and a BS in Public Policy from Georgia Tech. He lives in Dupont Circle. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and is an employee of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. His views are his own and do not represent those of his employer.