By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — Olean Historical and Preservation Society President Steve Teachman was deeply disappointed last month when the historic Roosevelt-Higgins oak tree in Lincoln Park had to be cut to the ground.
Teachman had been prepared for that, but hoped enough of the tree could be saved in place to carve it as a memorial. The tree was planted by President Theodore Roosevelt and New York Gov. Frank W. Higgins of Olean 119 years ago. Teachman wanted to memorialize the occasion and master carver Eric Jones had presented plans to carve it in place.
The backup plan was to save the bottom 10-12 feet and remove it to the nearby Higgins Carriage House owned by the Historical and Preservation Society.
National Grid, which has been trimming the Roosevelt-Higgins tree in the park, said it appeared rotted and recommended cutting it down.
The Common Council had initially agreed to carve the tree in place, but then had second thoughts about vandalism and authorized its removal.
When Teachman went to the carriage house to see the tree trunk, it wasn’t there. He went to see Mayor Bill Aiello, who said he thought the trunk had been carted off to the carriage house.
Teachman then thought it might have been taken to the Front Street Public Works yard. He went down there and found several shorter logs the city plans to make benches from, but not the big trunk he was expecting.
Now he was really concerned. Where’s the darn tree trunk?
After a recent story in the Olean Star outlining Teachman’s dilemma, he got a visit from someone he knows in the city’s Public Works Department.
“He said the tree was on the city lot on Front Street among other logs,” Teachman told the Olean Star.
When he went back to the Front Street lot, he looked closer and found the larger part of the trunk National Grid and the city had saved for the memorial.
“The tree is safe. It’s over there in the pile. I’m happy,” Teachman said. “Now we can move forward.” Branches were also saved for souvenirs as well as the parts saved to make benches.
Now he has to fi9nmd some way to get it over to the carriage house where a hole will be dug to place the bottom part of the tree in. The upper part will be carved to include the likenesses of Roosvelt and Higgins.
Teachman, a Cattaraugus County legislator, is going to start to raise funds to place the tree trunk and have Jones carve it for the memorial.
“It will be a nice compliment to the carriage house, which the Olean Historical and Preservation Society hopes to renovate this year.
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