Underground Railroad Marker Is Cut Down

BROCKTON, Mass. — A 300-year-old sycamore that served as a marker on the Underground Railroad and a meeting place for abolitionists including Frederick Douglass has been cut down after city officials said it was too badly damaged to save.

The remains of “The Liberty Tree” were fed into a chipper Monday despite the efforts of residents who had tried to win National Register of Historic Places status for the tree and build a park and museum around it.

Brockton Mayor John Yunits said he had to put public safety ahead of sentiment.

A 2,000-pound branch crashed into an adjacent parking lot two weeks ago and three arborists had determined the tree was rotting from the inside.

It would have cost $500,000 to restore the tree, so officials chose to remove it. The city plans to build a small commemorative park in its place, Yunits said.

Clones of the tree have been planted in other parts of the suburban Boston town, Yunits said.