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Damage tree transformed into work of art
Photo
Bob Anderson carves a sculpture of a mountain man into a 300-year-old tree in Mesopotamia, Ohio. The tree was hit by lightning about six years ago and this is a way to salvage the remainings.
STORY & PHOTOS
By MADELYN P. HASTINGS
MESOPOTAMIA
The echoing sound of a chain saw can be heard rattling throughout the small town of Mesopotamia while woodcarver Bob Anderson is hard at work.
Anderson is in the process of transforming a 300-year-old oak tree into a work of art.
The tree was damaged during a storm, most likely being struck by lightning.
By carving the tree into a 15-foot wooden sculpture, it can be glazed for protection and frozen in time as a landmark for this community in northern Trumbull County.
It is located next to the End of the Commons General Store, which has been in business for 170 years in the quaint Amish town.
Community members and tourists stop while passing by on their way to the store to watch as incredible detail is carved into the wood.
Anderson uses a variety of saws for his work of carving the wood into the shape of a mountain man to symbolize some of the early travelers to America.
By salvaging the damaged tree that has been towering over the town for centuries, the sculpture will be another attraction to those who visit the store for the next few hundred years.