Sandra Boone Murphy, of Salem Quarterly Meeting, walks around the historic Salem Oak tree, Friday, June 7, 2019. The tree, located in the Salem Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem City, fell around 6 p.m. Thursday, and was estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

There was a steady stream of onlookers along West Broadway in Salem City Friday.

All came out to pay homage to the historic Salem Oak, which fell Thursday evening.

The white oak, estimated to be between 500 and 600 years old, is "the sole surviving tree from the original forest that covered this land when John Fenwick arrived in 1675," according to signage at the site. It was also ranked the largest white oak tree in New Jersey in 2016, after the death of a white oak in Freehold the previous year.

Don't Edit

The historic Salem Oak tree has fallen, seen here on Friday, June 7, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

"Everybody I know that cares for the tree knows that it's been living on borrowed time," said Chris Davenport, executive director of Stand Up for Salem.

"So I'm not terribly surprised (it fell) but it feels really momentous that it finally came down," Davenport added.

"It also feels like a funeral."

White oaks typically live for about 200 to 300 years, which means it doubled, or possibly even tripled, its expected lifespan.

"The Quakers have kept it going longer than it would have on its own."

Don't Edit

The roots of the Salem Oak remain in the ground, revealing the inside of the historic tree after it fell Thursday evening. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Located in the Salem Friends Burial Ground, it is believed that it was under this tree that Fenwick, an English Quaker, met with the Lenape chiefs and signed a treaty establishing the city of Salem.

At the time of the treaty, "this tree was already a mature tree," said Sandra Boone Murphy, of Salem Quarterly Meeting, and "the oak trees would have been a sacred place to gather."

Don't Edit

A photo of the Salem Oak circa October 1916. (Warren Sparks)

Ginny Davis, of Elsinboro, is a retired teacher from the Pennsville School District and said that local school children used to come here to learn about the history of the tree and the area.

"I remember bringing my class here and they had them join hands to see how many kids it took to go all the way around the trunk of the tree," she said.

Sherrill McHarness, a Mannington native who now lives in Woodstown, also said that Easter Sunrise services would be held around this tree, with members from all Salem City churches participating.

Don't Edit

Chief Mark Quiet Hawk Gould, of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, blesses the fallen Salem Oak tree, Friday, June 7, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Chief Mark Quiet Hawk Gould, of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, stopped by to bless the fallen Salem Oak, and asked the crowd if anyone had a cigarette, noting that he didn't smoke, but needed the tobacco for the blessing.

"When you're going to do a blessing or you're going to ask the Creator for help, you pray," explained Gould. "And as you pray, you offer tobacco. The tobacco mostly carries our prayers to the Creator."

Remarkably, there was an unused cigarette lying on the sidewalk, which Gould used to perform the ceremony. It was Gould's tribal ancestors who signed the treaty with Fenwick.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

People gather along a brick wall surrounding the Salem Friends Burial Ground to see the fallen Salem Oak tree in Salem City, Friday, June 7, 2019. The white oak fell around 6 p.m. Thursday, and was estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

When asked about how he felt upon hearing the Salem Oak had fallen, Gould took a moment to reflect.

"I'm 77 years old, and you ride by this tree thinking it will be there forever," said Gould. "And then when you look up and you see a thing and it's gone, where does that leave us now? There's many old people that understand but the newer generation, their teaching is going to be down because the tree is down."

"We've taken the acorns and created new generations of the tree, but the generation that's here is the one that's most important."

Don't Edit

Sandra Boone Murphy, of Salem Quarterly Meeting, walks around the historic Salem Oak tree, Friday, June 7, 2019. The tree, located in the Salem Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem City, fell Thursday evening. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

It seems everyone had a story to share about the once mighty Salem Oak as they gazed upon the fallen giant.

"There will be some consolation that you can still see these other oak trees -- literally the kids of this tree," said Davenport.

But Chief Quiet Hawk was sure to remind us all: "You have to pass the stories to the next generation. It's up to us to pass this story down about that tree."

Scroll below for more images of the fallen Salem Oak, as well as historical photos from the past.

Don't Edit

People gather along a brick wall surrounding the Salem Friends Burial Ground to see the fallen Salem Oak tree in Salem City, Friday, June 7, 2019. The white oak fell around 6 p.m. Thursday. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Howard Davis, of Elsinboro, holds a pen made from the wood of the Salem Oak in Salem City, Friday, June 7, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

A photo taken from a drone shows the fallen Salem Oak tree in Salem City. The white oak fell around 6 p.m. Thursday and was estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old. (Christopher Magnus)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Snow dusts the branches of the historic Salem Oak in the Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem in this file photo from Friday, March 4, 2016. (Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com)

Don't Edit

A man takes a photo of the fallen Salem Oak tree in Salem City, Friday, June 7, 2019. The white oak was estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

A detail of the fallen Salem Oak. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Workers from Davey Tree Expert Company install a wiring system to help protect the Salem Oak from lightning damage in this file photo from Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Chris Maragulia, of Davey Tree Expert Company, installs a wiring system to help protect the Salem Oak from lightning damage in this file photo from Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

The roots of the Salem Oak tree remain in the ground on Friday, June 7, 2019, after the tree fell the night before. The white oak was estimated to be around 500 to 600 years old. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Part of the fallen Salem Oak tree lies across headstones in the Salem Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem City, Friday, June 7, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Don't Edit

This Salem County Picture From The Past shows the Salem Oak in the Religious Society of Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem City. This picture postcard view is from sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The Salem Oak has been a landmark for centuries. This photo of the oak shows it in healthier days. In 1999, the tree lost three of its large branches. The house seen behind the oak to the left on the other side of West Broadway was razed. (File Photo)

Don't Edit

Acorns from the Salem Oak cover the ground beneath the tree in this file photo from Sept. 29, 2010. The public was invited to collect acorns the following Sunday. (File photo)

Don't Edit

The Salem Oak, in the Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem, was listed by the state Department of Environmental Protection as New Jersey's largest white oak tree. The tree is seen here on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Sandra Boone Murphy, of Salem Quarterly Meeting, walks around the fallen historic Salem Oak tree, Friday, June 7, 2019. The white oak, located in the Salem Friends Burial Ground on West Broadway in Salem City, fell Thursday evening. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Lori on Instagram at @photog_lori and Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com's newsletters.