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The Last Tree on Seminary Street Reprinted from The Mercersburg Journal On March 6, Mercersburg lost the last remaining tree standing, literally, "on" East Seminary Street. Known locally as "the tree in the street," the old basswood tree which stood in front of the First United Methodist Church had grown to more than three feet in diameter and almost 100 feet high. Estimated to be over 140 years old, it was planted sometime around the time of the Civil War. Although there has never been an official accounting of the older trees in Mercersburg, this tree was probably one of the oldest remaining trees in the town. Over the years, as the street was widened to make way for automobiles and the growing traffic to and from the Academy, the tree, which at one time set comfortably within the confines of the sidewalk, became almost totally surrounded by macadam and a concrete curb. Although the tree stood tall and even had a few leaves last spring, it had actually stopped growing sometime in the 1950's, according to the tree surgeons who removed it. It had remained "mostly together" until just recently, although it was almost completely hollow from top to bottom. Church officials had been concerned that the tree would come down on its own one day. Located, as it was, on East Seminary Street, the tree was likely witness to many of the events that make up Mercersburg's rich history. As a recently planted sapling, it would have been within earshot of the cannons at Antietam, and later witness on October 10, 1862, to hundreds of General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, as they rode through the streets of Mercersburg looking for shoes, clothing and hostages. Sadly, in spite of its years of majesty and its place as a witness to history, most of its wood was too rotten to be used even as firewood. But, as luck would have it, a local resident and Civil War buff happened to see the tree being cut, and, knowing that the tree was quite old, saved a few sections of the base of its trunk. Happily, the tree slice will now become part of a beautiful piece of furniture. A table is being created by Glenn Martin, Jr., owner of Martin Millwork, Inc., a local Mercersburg woodworking factory. When completed, the table will be donated to the Committee for the Commemoration of J.E.B. Stuart's Raid, and ultimately will be auctioned off for the benefit of the upcoming event. A reenactment and related events are scheduled the weekend of October 11-13, 2002. Interested collectors should check the event's web site at www.PathsoftheCivilWar.com for more information in the coming weeks. The lucky person who acquires this piece of furniture will have a unique relic of Mercersburg's history, and a piece of one of the last living witnesses to one of the most important chapters in our nation's history - the Civil War. |