anna's oak Archives - Lasting Landscapes by Carol

Last fall, I visited an art exhibit called “Remembering Anna’s Oak” at the Warwick Furnace in Glenmoore, PA. The exhibit honored a beloved historic tree through commemorative works of art, including pieces made from its bark, leaves, and branches.

gallery sign with blue and white cyanotype flags of oak leaves — Cyanotype oak leaves greeted us as we entered the exhibit.

hanging branches in gallery — Branches formed a mobile.

knot of wood with painting in the background — A piece of the tree hung in the gallery and served as a picture window highlighting the painting beyond.

handmade wooden canes — One artist made walking sticks from the fallen branches.

painting of woman holding acorns called abundance — Entitled “Abundance,” this painting featured a woman holding a handful of acorns.

wooden bowls and candle holders with framed picture of oak leaf — Paintings and sculpted wooden pieces preserved the oak’s legacy.

bark used to create images of tree — Bark from Anna’s oak formed images of trees.

photo of inside of tree combined with image of sky — A photo taken inside the tree’s hollow cavity was paired with the image of a sky. The result was an image that looked like canyon walls.

two women admiring the details of a quilt in a gallery — Visitors admired a quilt featuring the beloved tree.

looking over field of trees in distance with railing in foreground — The gallery offered views of the surrounding landscape from a balcony.

Anna’s Oak was believed to be Chester County’s largest living white oak. The tree likely took its name from Anna Nutt, founder of the historic Warwick Furnace. On Tuesday morning, August 13, 2024, the 350-year-old oak crashed to the ground because its trunk had become mostly hollow. Although I never saw the tree when it was alive, its 97-foot height and 264-inch circumference still impressed me as it lay calmly in the field.

person standing next to fallen oak in field — I felt small standing next to the fallen oak.

person in pink shirt standing inside fallen tree — I easily fit inside the hollow trunk that caused its demise.

decaying oak leaves on branch — A few oak leaves continued to hang on to the dead branches.

I grew emotional as I viewed the exhibit and read the timeline of historic events the tree likely witnessed. The artwork moved me; it captured the spirit of the oak beautifully. I loved seeing how the tree lived on through art, and I felt comfort knowing its remains will nourish new life in the field where it fell. As my friend and I wandered around the site, we noticed new life already emerging—a couple oak saplings now grow proudly near the base of the original tree.

timeline showing events that occurred over life of historic oak tree — Anna’s Oak lived through so many years of historic events including William Penn’s first visit to Pennsylvania and the release of the first iPhone.

oak tree sapling in cage — This sapling represents new life and grows near the base of Anna’s Oak.

Seeing the majestic fallen oak made me reflect on my own garden and the trees I’ve lost during the 25-plus years I’ve lived in my home. One tree in particular—an ash—stands out. I remember my dad saying he hoped I’d never lose that tree, since its V-shape marked the garden as mine: the Verhake garden. Unfortunately, I eventually had to remove it, as the V-shaped union created a weak structure and arborists considered it likely to fail—a risk I couldn’t take.

v shaped tree in fog — The V-shaped tree I had to remove from my property.

Yet, like Anna’s Oak, my ash tree lives on. My friend Carlos Soler turned part of it into a set of bowls I cherish, and the stump grindings nourished the soil where other trees now thrive. As we enter a new year, I’m reminded to be like the trees: remember and honor the past, keep part of it alive, and embrace the new life a new year brings—a year rooted in what came before.