Historical Name: Shoemaker
Common Name: Holly
Latin Name: Ilex opaca
An ancient American Holly tree grows between the northbound and southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway at mile marker 23 in Cape May County, NJ. Known as the Shoemaker Holly, the rest area in which it is found is named for it. The tree was discovered during the construction of the Parkway in the early 1950’s, and was initially scheduled to be removed to make way for the road. Citizens in Cape May County requested that the tree be saved, and to accommodate the tree the opposing lanes were separated enough to allow the tree to remain untouched. A rest area, now infrequently used, was also constructed at the site.
The Shoemaker Holly, named for the former owner of the land on which it grows, is the most famous tree in Cape May County. At more than 300 years of age it is the oldest American Holly in NJ. There are only a few older American Hollies in the entire world. Its trunk has a 30 inch diameter and stands 60 feet tall. Unfortunately the tree is in poor health, and may not be with us too much longer. The Shoemaker Holly in UCNJ’s Historic Tree Grove is a cutting-grown clone of the original tree, and was planted into the Grove in 2004.