A tree that’s been a part of the State College scene since the American Revolution is now one for the history books.
The towering Bur Oak, which dominated an empty lot in Lemont, was chopped down Tuesday morning.
A few neighbors watched as workers armed with chain saws methodically removed limbs from the tree that towered over Shady Drive for generations.
Ron Smith, who’s active in the Lemont Village Association, says he’s been a resident of the village since 1968. He wasn’t happy to see the tree come down. “We’re trying to preserve things in Lemont,” he says, “not cut them down.”
Joyce Driscoll, who lives across the street, remembers playing beneath the tree as a child back in the sixties. “It provides a lot of shade. It’s a lot of habitat for the wildlife,” she says. “It’s like one of the oldest trees in the area. It was. Unfortunately, it’s not anymore.”
“It’s a shame that it couldn’t have been spared,” says Mary Sorensen, executive director of the Centre County Historical Society.
According to Sorensen, a plaque was placed at the tree’s enormous trunk in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial Celebration marking America’s 200th birthday. It’s believed the tree was alive in 1776, and possibly long before that. Sorensen says most trees from that period were chopped down to make charcoal that was used in the iron-making process.
According to Sorensen, measurements taken in 1990 put the tree’s circumference at more than 19 feet. It stood 90 feet tall.
Smith blames developers who own the lot for destroying a piece of the community’s past. According to the Centre County Recorder of Deeds, the property is owned by Soasoas Partnership, which lists Andrew Garban, John Conroy and Karen Conroy as the mortgage holders.
Phone messages asking why the tree was taken down were not immediately returned. The College Township Zoning Department says that no permits have been issued to build on the property.
College Township Manager Adam Brumbaugh says it was simply out of the government’s hands. “I think it’s unfortunate,” he says of the decision to take down the tree. “The township doesn’t have control of trees that are on private property. We don’t have any control.”
Brumbaugh confirms there is no land development plan or building permit issued for the property. He says the township tried to buy the lot in 2009, offering $35,000, in part due to concerns about the “viability of the tree.” Brumbaugh says the offer was rejected.
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