PHOTOS: 'Ancient' Kingsville Tree to be Removed from Churchyard

A historic tree outside St. John's Episcopal Church, along Belair Road in Kingsville, is expected to be cut down Wednesday morning.

The Rev. Susan Oldfather submitted the above photos and the following statement to Patch:

This morning, beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing all day, an ancient oak, 15 feet, 2 inches in diameter, will be removed from the churchyard of St. John's Episcopal Church, 11901 Belair Rd., Kingsville, MD. Twice postponed due to rain, the company will be here today.

This will create a very different treescape on our campus as commuters pass through the Rt. 1, Bradshaw Rd., Sunshine Ave. intersection.

... When I spoke with the Maryland Big Tree program forester, he speculated that because of the tree's position in high rocky ground, it may be very old because it would not have had easy access to nutrients and water, which help speed growth as a tree ... near a stream might. The tree was never nominated for this program, and will not be added because it must be removed due to internal rot and the danger to historic tombstones at its base, as well as proximity to our 1880 era stone church. While there is no way to determine the age at this time, it is highly likely it predates the move of St. John's Parish to Kingsville in 1817 from where it was founded in Joppatowne in 1692.

Do you have memories of the trees or churchyard outside St. John's Episcopal Church? Tell us in the comments.