A piece of North Central Pennsylvania history is once again available to the public, years after it had been removed because of vandalism. The “Colossal Black Cherry," a 60-foot-long log cut from a black cherry tree that grew in the nearby Tionesta Scenic Area, was rededicated last month at the Wilds Sonshine Factory in Kane, an environmental museum and distillery.
“It's the world's largest cherry tree," said David Conklin, the factory's president. "It blew down in a tornado in 1985.”
Before that tornado, Conklin says U.S. Forest Service data showed this tree, at one point, had the most usable lumber in a tree of its kind. Black cherry trees are native to a large swath of North America, but the largest are found in Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
The “Sheffield Log,” as it’s known locally, had been in Sheffield Park in neighboring Warren County for nearly four decades. But Conklin said township supervisors voted to remove the log three years ago while renovating the park.
“And then of course, everyone found out about it, and then all heck broke loose because, you know, inevitably it's a piece of national history," Conklin said.
Sheffield Township supervisors say the log was heavily damaged from graffiti and carvings. Conklin said the log has been refurbished and given a preservative treatment to protect it in the future.
“It's a tribute to the men and women that work in the wood products industry, as well as as environmental people that work to preserve our native land," Conklin said.
The log now sits under a pavilion in Kane, surrounded by educational panels highlighting its history as well as Pennsylvania’s timber heritage.
The Wilds Sonshine Factory uploaded this video online shortly after the rededication ceremony, documenting the log's history and how it was transferred to its current home:
