On May 26, 1966, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation designating the village of Waterloo, New York, as the birthplace of Memorial Day in the United States. It is only fitting that Waterloo is also home to an extraordinary tree that is a living monument to wartime sacrifice. The Scythe Tree is a Balm of Gilead poplar growing on a small farm between Waterloo and Geneva in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. In 1861, James and Elizabeth Johnson owned the farm and property, and the community…
