The Gunn Pine

The Gunn Pine (actually a Norway Spruce) appears on the school crest designed in the 1940s as a symbol of the natural beauty of the campus and the living growth of learning.

  • The actual tree is said to have been planted by Mr. Gunn at the first reunion in 1869, and an examination of the tree’s rings indicated the planting occurred about that time. 

  • The tree stood behind the original Gunnery building (torn down in 1928 and replaced by Gunn Dorm) until 1993, when it fell during a blizzard.

  • A new Norway Spruce was planted in its place, and dedicated in the spring of 1994. It still stands near Gunn Dorm and during the winter holidays, the iconic tree is decorated with white lights.

  • During the sesquicentennial celebration in 2000-01, School Archivist Paula Krimsky, with the help of students of then-History Department Chair Julia Ailing ’81 P’19, plotted the history of The Gunnery, the history of the United States, and the history of the world on the rings of a circular slab of the tree that had been preserved. The project is now housed in the Paula and George Krimsky Archives and Special Collections.

The Gunn Pine with white lights in snow