Jan and Bruce Garrabrandt
Reportedly planted by town father and cigar-maker Sam Watt (d. 1860), this 160-year-old tree was struck by lightning (see vertical scar in photo) and, following efforts to save it, taken down in 2015. With a CBH (trunk circumference) of 11 feet, a height of 80 feet, and a spread of 69 feet, this tree rivaled the state champion in height and spread and was probably the largest Norway Maple in the county.
According to Jan Garrabrandt, the neighborhood was saddened as the tree (christened The Grand Old Lady) was taken down. “I’m losing the tree of my childhood,” one 8-year-old girl lamented. The Garrabrandts have preserved the remaining snag by enclosing a time capsule, capping it with a cedar cone, and adorning it with bird houses.
This amazing species, introduced to the U.S. in the 1700s, reportedly grows north of the Arctic Circle.
