Hoping for a "HISTORIC" recovery

[Roger Chandler]

Hi gang,

I have placed an email to one of our local newspaper reporters who reported in our paper that the historic "Stonewall Jackson Prayer tree" in Augusta county, Virginia was toppled by winds 2 nights ago.

This tree has become known to civil war buffs and had visits every year from people who wanted to see where General Jackson and his troops prayed before battle.

I am hoping the owner will contact me, as she gets my info from the reporter, and I have told him that our wood turning club can give this historic tree a second life, and that a similar thing was done with the Monticello tulip poplar at Jefferson's home.

I am hoping that the owners will allow for our club to come and cut this tree [a huge white oak] into turning size blanks and we can distribute it to all our members who wish to turn something from this historic tree, and perhaps find a useful purpose for the proceeds derived from sales.

Here's hoping.................

[Keith Outten]

Roger,

Please keep me informed, I would like to participate so I could get some wood for the Freedom Pens Project.
.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger,

Please keep me informed, I would like to participate so I could get some wood for the Freedom Pens Project.
.

Keith.........If the owners will contact me, I will. The article in the paper said they were just going to let the tree lie ? Did not want a lot of "souvenier" hunters trying to take it. I hope they will reconsider when they get my contact info, and see what possibilities this one has...........

I think some freedom pens would be a great way to utilize some of this...........I will see how this plays out, and if it is favorable, then I would be glad to save a few pieces for you!

[Marty Eargle]

Very awesome opportunity for you and your club! Can't wait to see what comes of it.

[Tim Rinehart]

Will keep my fingers crossed for you and the club to have a shot at this. What a shame to let it lie and decay...though I can see their concerns. Hopefully, they'll get enough info on your clubs ability to do proper justice to this tree.

[bob svoboda]

Here's hoping. Good Luck!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wish you luck Roger! Would be a really cool thing to be able to preserve the history!

[Tim Thiebaut]

I hope it works out for you Roger, that is an amazing piece of history, it would be a shame to let it lay there and rot away for no reason.

[Roger Chandler]

196785The ancient oak, under which Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson and his troops reportedly prayed, lies across a roadway in Augusta County after collapsing last weekend. Photo by Nikki Fox / DN-R


Here is a picture of the Stonewwall Jackson Prayer Tree from our local paper

[Michael James]

That is the neatest thing about turning to me (oustide the therapy of actually engaging the wood). Making sentimental or historical, or somehow significant stuff, into turned stuff keepsakes! Good luck.
mj

[Roger Chandler]

I received a call today from the property owners where the Jackson Prayer tree is located..........we had a long conversation, about ideas of mine and some other historical things related to this whole site.

She is going to speak with other members of her family, and they will make a decision............they have been inundated with inquiries and people asking for some of the wood..............we will see what develops, but I was received very well I thought by her, and I am hopeful..........

[Steve Schlumpf]

I will keep my fingers crossed for you Roger! It would be nice to be able to save some of that history!

[Jack Mincey]

Roger, I wish you the best of luck. You might want to share the project "The voice of the beloved tree" John Jordan did with a tree from his wifes family home place with the owners of this historic tree. Here is a link to the project at his site. It is also on face book, but a little more difficult to figure out what it is all about there. I hope the site is OK to post? http://www.johnjordanwoodturning.com/John_Jordan_Woodturning/The_Voice_of_a_Beloved_Tree.html
Jack

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, I wish you the best of luck. You might want to share the project "The voice of the beloved tree" John Jordan did with a tree from his wifes family home place with the owners of this historic tree. Here is a link to the project at his site. It is also on face book, but a little more difficult to figure out what it is all about there. I hope the site is OK to post? http://www.johnjordanwoodturning.com/John_Jordan_Woodturning/The_Voice_of_a_Beloved_Tree.html
Jack

Jack,

Thanks for the link...........we have some ideas already, and of course any final agreement will come with the owners, but this idea might be one that could possibly be incorperated..............we are working on a number of ideas from our local club........we will have to see how it plays out..........we want to have the utmost of integrity with this historical tree and its owners.

[Roger Chandler]

more pics of this tree........check this link:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/03/6781871-gen-thomas-j-stonewall-jacksons-prayer-tree-felled-by-high-winds-disease

[Roger Chandler]

Well, the owners of the Stonewall Jackson Prayer tree contacted me yesterday evening............I did not get in till late, but will communicate with her this morning. Our club officers will meet with me for lunch today, so we can formulate a plan.......some things already on the drawing board............civil war battlefield preservation foundations, etc. and we hope to get some sort of commitment and understanding in the next few days.............things look positive from this point.........keep your fingers crossed!

[Donny Lawson]

Roger, I do hope your club gets some of the wood so it can be brought back to life for others to appreciate for years to come. Please let us know of the outcome.

[Rick Markham]

I hope you guys get at least a good portion of it! I'm looking forward to seeing where it leads if you guys do. Lots of pics please!

[Roger Chandler]

I had the conversation with the owner, and things look real good................just have to make some contacts with the different venues we are considering to see what their level of interest is, but the owner likes what she hears from me about what our plans are.

[Roger Chandler]

We had a meeting of the club officers today at lunch, and tomorrow we have a face to face with the owner of the Stonewall Jackson Prayer tree. Following the meeting, in which a board member from the civil war battlefield foundation was in attendance as well, we went to one of the museums, and got the contact information for the officer in charge at VMI who is in charge of the Jackson house and 3 museums.

Things are certainly looking up.........hope to finalize things over the next couple of days and begin the process of getting the wood to a safe place.

[James Combs]

I am sure this goes without saying but there needs to be some sort of custody trail documentation and certification, especially certification of origin, for all the entities that get wood from this tree. Otherwise every unscrupulous wood handler in the nation if not the world will be turning bowls, or what have you, from their on wood pile and labeling them "Stonewall Jackson Prayer Tree Wood". Would there be anyway for your club and/or the owner to also copyright "Stonewall Jackson Prayer Tree Wood" or something similar that could lend some protection to the original wood?

Just thinking out loud.

[Roger Chandler]

I am sure this goes without saying but there needs to be some sort of custody trail documentation and certification, especially certification of origin, for all the entities that get wood from this tree. Otherwise every unscrupulous wood handler in the nation if not the world will be turning bowls, or what have you, from their on wood pile and labeling them "Stonewall Jackson Prayer Tree Wood". Would there be anyway for your club and/or the owner to also copyright "Stonewall Jackson Prayer Tree Wood" or something similar that could lend some protection to the original wood?

Just thinking out loud.


JD,

We will have an authentic write up by the owners with the historical information, and a brochure will be printed up with this information in it, and each piece turned will have the authentic brochure included with the turning...........this will insure the authenticity, and the venues in which these will be sold will indeed be related to the civil war battleground foundations and a very selected group of galleries, where we can maintain the control of this, to prevent knock-offs.........also, there will be a certified list of turners doing this project, who will be authorized to sign works, and this list will be kept official as well.

Some of these details still have to be worked out, but these are some of the things we have talked about in our meeting, and we will have an official jurying process to insure that a certain quality is met for the items submitted for this series of works.

[Roland Martin]

Best of luck Roger, that would be really neat. Fingers crossed!

[James Combs]

When I was doing that "out loud" thinking, I had it in the back of my mind that I was probably way behind the curve here. lol That is certainly more then I could have ever thought of doing and it should solve any knock-off problems so just ignore my ramblings.:o

[Roger Chandler]

Best of luck Roger, that would be really neat. Fingers crossed!

Thanks Roland..........and James,

It really looks promising as of now.........when we meet with the owner tomorrow, and finalize some things, then the "wood haul" will start, ...........if everything goes well, then we hope to cut some on Thursday.

[Roger Chandler]

latest update on new thread "civil war wood"