Ed, Though I don't agree with carving into trees I could not think of anything better than Bible verses.
The size of this tree reminds me of a large beech ( European, I think ) located in Calvary Episcopal's cemetery here in Fletcher NC. It is over 12 feet in girth and around 80 feet tall. The cemetery is just over 150 years old and the beech may date back to the earliest graves in the cemetery. The " Bible Tree " may well be 150 years old. James P. On Nov 2, 6:48 pm, "Edward Frank" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ENTS, > > I spent the morning and afternoon with archaeologists, historians, and > interested members of the local community visiting a series of "Scripture > Rocks" In the area around Brookville, PA. One account of the rocks reads as > follows, "In the early 1900's, 500 rock carvings were cut by Douglas > Stahlman, a Brookville man who believed he had a vision instructing him to > carry out that mission. Stahlman was born in Kirkman, Jefferson County in > 1861, graduated from the Erie Commercial School, and died in Pittsburgh in > 1942. Stahlman removed himself from society and lived among the rocks above > Mill Creek. At one point he conducted church services at a rock he had named > appropriately "Alter Rock". Each rock carries some biblical inscription and > was named by Stahlman. In a journal he cataloged each stone and its > approximate location. When he completed his project, the carvings stretched > roughly in an arc around Brookville from the old Northfork Park north of the > town to Tunnel Hill south of Brookville. - Nicole Park" Ken Burkett, a local > archaeologist and others are organizing a project to document the character > and locations of these rocks located at many known, and likely many unknown > sites in the area. > > What may be of more interest to a tree group like ENTS is that he also carved > verses into trees in the area. I am given to understand he preferred > American beech trees because of their smooth bark. Of the many tree she > carved, one is know to remain. I had the opportunity to measure and > photograph this tree, known as the Bible Tree today. The tree is in severely > hollow, and I do not believe it will last much longer. > > Measurements: Girth 10.3 feet, height 81 feet. > > I am guessing the tree may be 150 years old at least, given that the carvings > were done almost 100 years ago, circa 1912, and the tree must have been large > at the time it was carved. More detailed documentation of the tree is one of > the higher priorities of the proposed project as carvings in tree tend to be > more ephemeral than those in stone. The other Bible trees have been lost > already. > > Ed Frank > > "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. " > Robert Frost (1874-1963). Mountain Interval. 1920. > > DSCN0564a.JPG > 77KViewDownload > > DSCN0576a.JPG > 93KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
