Ancient Ginkgo in God's Acre of Salem

I am a big fan of Gingko trees, and this is the largest Ginkgo I have ever seen. It resides in God's Acre of Salem, a Moravian burial ground in Winston-Salem, NC. I have no idea how old it is. However, the fact that the Moravian settlement in Salem dates back to 1766 suggests that 200 years is a safe lower bound for its age. From the yellow leaf litter you can see that this photo was taken a few days too late to see it in its full glory.

The burial ground itself is interesting. The uniform size and shape of the grave markers in this burial ground demonstrates the Moravians strong belief in equality. This format is common to all Moravian burial grounds. Check out the Wikipedia on "God's Acre" for other manifestations of religious ideas in Moravian burial grounds.

We were in Winston-Salem for the weekend after Thanksgiving. There are several Gingkos of a variety of sizes in this burial ground as well as throughout the city - a delightful place for a lover of Gingkos.