Iconic 1969 Woodstock Message Tree Is No More

I don't know why it took so long, but two years ago, along with a co-worker, I made the trip to Bethel, New York. I've wanted to see the site where Woodstock 1969 occurred but kept making excuses not to visit.

I'm glad I did. To see the site, where the stage was, imagining 400,000 people crowed on that sloping field of farmland, enjoying music from some of the greatest musicians ever in the world of rock-n-roll.

The Bethel Woods Museum visit along with the amphitheater was also a highlight of my tour. The museum not only details the history of Woodstock 1969 but also the entire timeline of the 1906s. Definitely a trip worth taking. Rock music history was made at that site.

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While we are on the topic of Woodstock, during the festival a tree on the property became famous as a Message Tree, Bethel Woods describes the tree as "a place for festival attendees to leave hand-written mementos and communicate with friends."

photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

The Woodstock Message Tree is a 60-foot Red Maple, over 100 years old, and situated at the southwest corner of Hurd Road and West Shore Road, just uphill from the Woodstock Monument.

It was a bulletin board with improvised notes on paper plates, and signs on scraps of paper and cardboard, made by friends and strangers hoping to reunite, according to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Well, unfortunately, all good things must someday come to an end. And so is the story of the Message Tree. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts announced that because of its declining stability, poor health, and safety concerns, the tree had to be cut down.

Expert arborists tracked the Message Tree's progress over of several years, which led to the decision to have it taken down. But, good news, Bethel Woods notes that a crop of new trees has been propagated from the original so the Message Tree’s legacy will live on.

For so many, it’s hard to imagine a time without instant access to communication. The Message Tree embodied the spirit of freedom, peace, and togetherness that defined the Woodstock phenomenon. Taking down the Message Tree was not a decision we came to lightly. Based on years of discussions with experts, for the safety of our guests and the health of the grounds, we know this was the right time to say goodbye, and begin to celebrate the tree in new ways. - Eric Frances, CEO, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Bethel Woods notes that when the site is safely cleared and ready, a regenerative planting ceremony will be held, open to the public honoring the Message Tree's legacy and celebrating the message of peace that it has come to symbolize.

Bethel Woods is also looking for proposals from artists to create lasting works using the salvageable wood from the original Message Tree. They will be exhibited as part of the Arts and Crafts of Woodstock exhibition at the Bethel Woods Museum in 2025.

For more information, there is a survey that can be filled out. To access the survey, click HERE.

Check out the photos of the Message Tree and the process to cut it down