American School, 20th Century

Ruth Troiani Fine Antiques, Farmington Connecticut.

Around 1904, the chestnut blight was inadvertently introduced to North America via a disease originating in the Japanese chestnut trees that were being cultivated and imported from East Asia for commercial purposes. The East Coast had the highest concentration, particularly in the Appalachian mountain region, where it was estimated that one in every four hardwoods was a chestnut tree. The majority of mature chestnut trees, nearly four billion, were devastated over the following 40 years.