Friday, December 28, 2012

Barbara Brennen Dobio Memorial Park











from Pacific Nothwest Garden history on Halcyon.com:

Fowler Pear Tree

Jacob D. Fowler, Mukilteo's first homesteader, merchant, postmaster, and orchardist, planted this pear tree in his orchard in 1863. Today, it is the only trace of that old orchard, and may be the oldest pear in Washington. The tree, thought to be a 'Seckel,' was going strong through the summer of 1995 when it stood about 35 feet tall and the crown spread nearly 45 feet. That winter, a wind storm blew the crown down. The tree resprouted, and now has several new branches. Unfortunately, when the trunk broke, it revealed serious signs of decay. Just how much longer it can hang on is unclear. Mukilteo officials are trying to propagate the tree, so that if the old-timer does not make it, they can replace it with a young tree started from the old. 

The Fowler Pear, which is a state registered historic landmark, grows in a park just big enough for the tree and a bench right next to the railroad tracks in downtown Mukilteo. Look for it in Barbara Brennan Dobro Park, below Second Street on Mukilteo Lane north of Park Avenue.

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