Legend of The Dying Soldier

Considering that the very name of our state contains a synonym for woodlands ("sylvania"), it is perhaps no surprise that Pennsylvania has more than its fair share of famous trees. Many of our cities and villages have at least one tree with a remarkable history; either someone famous planted it, someone important sat under it, or someone notorious was hanged from it.

In Philadelphia there was the Bicentennial Moon Tree, planted in 1976 from seeds carried into space on the Apollo 14 mission (the original tree died in 2011, and the tree that stands in Washington Park today is one which has been cloned from original Moon Tree clippings). In Clinton County once stood the famous Tiadaghton Elm, under whose sweeping, majestic branches the Fair Play Men drafted our nation's first Declaration of Independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. Unbeknownst to them, however, the Second Continental Congress was drafting a similar document two hundred miles away on the very same day.

In Oley Valley, Berks County, can be found the Sacred Oak. This ancient tree, which has been standing for more than five centuries, is believed to be the oldest tree in the state. Meanwhile, the tallest tree in the entire northeastern United States-- the Longfellow Pine-- stands 183.3 feet over Cook Forest State Park in Clarion County.

However, when it comes to trees with interesting histories, few can compete with a  peach tree known as "The Dying Soldier", which stood for several decades in Chambersburg. According to local history, this tree earned its name because it can trace its roots to a peach pit that had been ejected from the mouth of a Union soldier as he was mortally wounded.

This fabled tree, which grew in the back yard of Frank A. Zarman on South Main Street, bloomed every spring with bright, blood red leaves, which faded to orange-green as the spring melted into summer. So plentiful was the fruit of this tree that Zarman gave away his peaches for free to anyone who showed even the slightest interest.

Zarman, who passed away in 1888, was a well-known resident of Chambersburg who served as the borough's constable for eight years, and held the title of deputy sheriff from 1859 to 1862. In his later years he was the county's leading auctioneer. However, the thing he was most proud of was his unusual peach tree, which he had purchased as a sapling five years earlier. Shortly before his death, he explained the strange history of his tree.

According to Zarman, during one of the battles fought on Southern soil a Union infantryman was standing on the battlefield, eating a juicy peach, during a lull in the fighting. It was an exceptionally sweet and juicy piece of fruit, and when the fighting resumed the soldier couldn't bear the thought of wasting it. He shoved the uneaten half of the peach into his mouth. At that very moment, a bullet sent from the rifle of his enemy pierced his right cheek and so great was the shock that the Union soldier ejected the stone of the peach, which fell to the ground covered in blood.

During the rest of the battle soldier after soldier passed over the spot where the Union infantryman lay dying, their feet pushing ther peach pit further and further into the soil. Not long afterward, a peach tree with brilliant red leaves sprung forth from the very spot. For many years locals gathered the peaches from the tree, planting the stones and selling the saplings as "Dying Soldiers". It was one of these saplings which Zarman had evidently purchased from a Southern nursery sometime during his travels.

Whether or not there is any truth to the unusual origin of this peach tree is unknown, but the tree managed to earn a special place not only in Frank Zarman's heart, but in the hearts of the countless Chambersburg residents who, for many years, spoke of "The Dying Soldier" in Zarman's back yard with a sense of hometown pride and awe. And, in its own way, that part of the story-- the one part that is proven to be true-- is every bit as wonderful.