[JRinKY]

Yesterday we had the old Dead/Dying Sycamore tree in our front yard cut down. I actually paid money to get some guys with a bucket truck to do the job, but I drug off all the limbs and debris with my tractor.

The tree measured 56 inches in diameter at the cut made about 4 feet high off the ground. 4 feet 8 inches.
I had a photo made about 1920 of the tree behind my grandpa, and it was a big tree then. Apparently he nailed a gate to the tree at some point (he died in 1930.)

Looking inside the hollow trunk, you can see a large gate hinge, with the tree grown around it. I assume this is what led to the inside decay as I have seen this happen before.

The center part of the old barn was built just after 1903 and it really needs repair. Damcows are tough on barns, they tore half the side out of the lower shed while I was gone to Montana. It originally had a Glass window in the top in the front...

 

[LarryDScott]

The next time Judy has a
spare moment she needs
to paint the roof. Just sayin.
LDS

 

[mrmurl]

Your tree cutters were very lucky they did not hit the hinge with a saw. I cut down a very old tree on my place that was not hollow. While cutting the tree, in the middle was a chunk of iron rod. Of course it ruined a saw chain and not knowing just what was there but had to finish the job. I wound up ruining two chains before I got the tree to fall. Have no idea why it was there but a buggy axle was grown up inside the tree. I can only guess that the axle was leaned up against the tree and it grew around it. There was no sign of anything there until I hit it.

 

[s3gunner]

When my Dad and I cut it down the ash tree that was big when my folks bought their house. It had a pile of bullets buried inside of it... the tree measured 14 feet in circumference. I think there used to be a target nailed to it... It looked like the bullets were fired from the back porch, right towards the road! LOL
I have a Great uncle that though he died at age 101 about 20 years ago would walk fences where the wire was stapled to trees. He would pull each staple out a bit so the fence wouldn't grow into the tree. I asked him why he didn't use fence posts instead to save all that work. He told me that there was a time that fenceposts were only used where there wasn't any trees, who could afford to buy fence posts? Also, they make darn strong fences! He lived thru the great depression and some lessons die hard.


Steven

 

[Kentucky Fisherman]

Good story and photos, JR. Any chance you can figure some way to post that picture of your grandpa? Maybe shoot it with your smart(ass)phone, e-mail it to yourself, then add it to your original post? That would kind of bring the story full circle.

 

[george in KY]

Good story and photos, JR. Any chance you can figure some way to post that picture of your grandpa? Maybe shoot it with your smart(ass)phone, e-mail it to yourself, then add it to your original post? That would kind of bring the story full circle.

here he is...boiling clothes fur washn i think

 

[George Foster]

That must be it.

 

[JRinKY]

He was from Harlan County KY no way anything like that going on in Harlan County. Cool photo George, cookin right in the open under the swinging bridge. Wooden mash tubs, keepem wet and they don't leak ....before the era of Blue Plastic Barrels.

 

[Larry in Bend]

When I worked in wood products, the sawmill foreman had an impressive collection of iron that the band saw exposed inside big, old Pine logs. Lots of bullets, arrow heads, wire, nails, and every now and again an axe or piece of a saw. Before my time, they found an 1861 Army Colt -- inside the cant.

Trees with iron in them came fron what we called "farmer" sales. We made a point of being extra vigilant when cutting and limbing and discounted those sales because we knew we'd be harvesting more slowly and replacing saw chains. I don't remember anyone getting hurt.