Gris & That: Oh, the stories this iconic tree could tell

Harold Causey has stood next to centuries-old buildings and cathedrals in Europe.

But never with the same reverence he held for a huge white oak tree on his property in south Monroe County.

He has always used one word to describe it.

Iconic.

Harold and his wife, Susan, have lived on 20 acres of property on Franklin Road since 1983. The tree was deep in the woods on the slope of a hill above a spring-fed creek where an old moonshine still was once located back in the day.

“I would go down there, look at that tree and say, ‘Oh, the stories you could tell,’ ’’ Harold said.

He could only venture guesses at how old it might be. It was the largest hardwood he had ever seen in the area.

It has been a month now since Hurricane Helene unleashed unprecedented devastation across five states in the Southeast, including widespread damage in Georgia. 

Like everyone else, the Causeys have seen countless images of toppled trees. 

But it was an earlier storm that wreaked havoc on their place. They have been grieving  the loss of more than three dozen trees after straight-line winds rushed across their property on a Sunday afternoon in late August.

The “iconic” oak, which had survived centuries of storms, was among the casualties.

Harold said when he opened a door during the storm “it looked like the Wizard of Oz. Everything was flying around.’’

They did not hear the tree fall, but when Harold later drove his Kawasaki Mule down a path in the woods to survey the damage, he said his heart “sank.’’ He said he even felt guilty that the tree fell “on my watch.’’

He now plans to “memorialize’’ the oak by having parts of it made into table tops. Earlier this week, Harold and his son-in-law, James Berg, measured the tree at 102 feet tall.  It will be about 6-8 weeks before the base can be cut to count the number of rings and determine the age.

Using information and a formula from The Land Conservancy of McHenry County website in Illinois, Harold has measured the tree base at 56 inches and determined it is 411 years old (rounded to 400). 

The late Chuck Place, a longtime forester, once told me the  live oaks at the corner of Vineville Avenue and Calloway Drive were the oldest in the city. They were planted in 1836 by Bishop George Pierce, the first president of Wesleyan College.

If 400 years is accurate, this tree could be traced to the early 1600s. That’s amazing. And to think Macon celebrated its bicentennial last year, and this tree was hanging around 200 years before that.

Another “iconic” tree that was lost in recent storms was the willow tree next to Jim Shaw’s Seafood Grill on Vineville Avenue. 

The tree, on the southeastern corner of the restaurant next to the railroad tracks, was uprooted by winds when Helene sideswiped the city in late September. 

General manager Chris Barroso said Jim Shaw’s former owner Skipper Zimmerman told him he planted it when it was about 6 feet tall. It grew to about 20 feet.

Barroso said the inside of the willow was diseased, which weakened it in the storm. 

He cut out a section of the tree and plans to have local artist Heidi Clinite engrave words on the wood to display inside the restaurant. He said he will be partnering with George Jackson at Ace Hardware to plant a new willow tree in November.

Two of my favorite annual festivals are coming up this weekend – the Central Georgia Greek Festival at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church on First Street and the Jazz & Arts Festival on Riverdale. My family has been attending the Greek Festival for more than a decade. And, of course, Riverdale is the next street over from our house, so we can open the windows and listen to jazz drift through the neighborhood all Saturday afternoon. 

If you’re still looking for something to do on Sunday, the Rose Hill Ramble with local historian Jim Barfield at 2 p.m. is a fascinating walking tour of the city’s 184-year-old cemetery. 

Rose Hill is the final resting place to many of Macon’s founding fathers, three governors, two U.S. senators, a congressman, 31 mayors, 1,474 Confederate soldiers, famous musicians and athletes and a dog, Lt. Bobby, once commissioned in the military by President Calvin Coolidge.

How cool was it that Macon violinist Robert McDuffie played the national anthem before the New York Giants-Cincinnati Bengals game at Metlife Stadium on Oct. 13? The guy never ceases to amaze us with his talent. … I know I’m not the only one amused that the tribute band from the group Bread on Nov. 1 at the Piedmont Grand Opera House is named Toast.

My wife and I got our flu shots Monday afternoon, then headed to North Macon Park for early voting. Just to let you know, she voted for me as a write-in candidate in a couple of uncontested races on the ballot.

I don’t expect to win, or even be in a run-off. But, if I’m elected, I  will serve. My campaign slogan is M.A.G.A. – Make America Gris Again.