08/19/2026
Portraits of Block Island’s most storied trees— old friends and beloved characters in the landscape, refuge and sentinel— by the talented Sarah Bird. Discover the complete series in the profile link and Block Island shop. Here, a closer look at 3 island favorites:
1. Mott Chestnut: At the sharp bend in West Side Road stands this glorious specimen, originally planted in 1876 to commemorate the union of Nancy Mott and Lovell Dickens, the parents of renowned ornithologist Elizabeth Dickens. It stands proudly today as an enduring testament to marriage.
2. Cherry Hill Road Grove: A luminous, mythic portrait of the grove of nearly thirty black cherry trees that line the edge of Cooneymus Road, just before Rodman’s Hollow. Cooneymus had previously been identified as Cherry Hill Road on historic maps, so called because of the naturally seeded cherry trees that took hold on the land in the 1940s, once farming and clearing had ended.
3. Mitchell Farm Chinese Elm: Lining the pastures of Mitchell Farm and providing shade for every walker and bicyclist, these sinuous, striking elms are straight out of a fairy tale. They’ve inspired decades of island lore: at the center of one trunk is a large knot and severed limb, believed to resemble a stag in profile by the light of the moon.
These remarkable images were originally part of a 2019 exhibition at The Block Island Historical Society titled “Long-Term Residents.” A portion of each sale of this limited edition series will benefit The Historical Society.
