Readers respond: Ziggy Tree, the Lenape and another bridge to nowhere in Bucks County
Bucks County history is so engaging that getting outside to experience the natural setting is inspiring. When I arrived from Florida years ago, I drove River Road and turned up Aquetong Road below New Hope. Off to my right was an incredible sight. A massive oak tree born in 1492. I stopped to take in the Columbus Tree’s magnificence. Close by was Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church where you could sit on the steps of the circa-1811 stone building and view the solitary oak back dropped by Bowman’s Hill and its 125-foot-high observation tower.
Mary Anne and I chose the church near the tree as the scene of our wedding. Skip ahead a few years to when our daughter Genevieve was born. Two weeks earlier, we drove to the tree where I photographed the contemplative mama-to-be dwarfed under the tree’s boughs.
My recent column on the demise of the tree (published Aug. 5, 2022) drew the interest of Colleen Seace who lives in Dauphin near Harrisburg. “I loved reading your article about the very special tree you nicknamed the Ziggy Tree. When I graduated from high school in 1975 I attended what was then called Trenton State College. My best friend and I happily stumbled upon the Columbus Tree one day on a day of exploring and were amazed by it. After that we would go visit it every so often.
“Then we both moved to separate places across the country. We would talk about making the time to go see the incredible tree. My friend’s son just moved to New Hope so we were eager to find our tree when we could visit him. We were sad to learn the tree died, but also thankful that we able to see it in all its glory so many times.”
Treatment of Lenape: ‘Taken so much, returned so little’
I also heard from Jeffry Miller who had much to say after reading my column on the Lenape Indians (March 3):
“I just read your article about our local Native American tribes. I too have had both a long lasting interest and sadness in how we treated these earliest inhabitants in response to these local tribes’ welcoming us in spite of the encroachment of European settlers. I grew up in Upper Bucks on farmland very close to Lake Nockamixon. My family found a few native artifacts along a creek that feeds the lake. I remember imagining the hard lives of the tribes clearing land of trees by hand to be able to farm and grow crops to feed their families.
“I worked with a non-Native American who grew up in North Dakota and whose best friends lived on a nearby reservation. I heard about the lives his Native American friends lived and compared their lifestyles to ours. Saddening to hear how some turn to alcohol and drugs because of poverty and lack of opportunities we take for granted.
“I did not know about the Fort Pitt treaty and the offering of the Lenape to help us during the American Revolution. So interesting. We have taken so much from these peoples and, to this day, returned so little. They appear to be a silent people in the news.”
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'Another bridge to nowhere at Bridgetown'
Karl Krelove of Middletown had this to say after reading my column on the Bridge to Nowhere in Hilltown Township (Feb. 17):
“That bridge sounds very much like the one in Bridgetown Pike across Neshaminy Creek below Langhorne that was replaced years ago but was preserved after local protests. It was still in use in 1989 when we moved here. The bridge made right angles with Bridgetown Pike and was only one lane wide.
“My wife’s family used to drive up to the bridge from Kensington to picnic and swim in the creek ‘out in the country.’ The farmer who owned the property next to the road lived in the farmhouse (more or less where the Bridgetown Mill House Restaurant is now located) and allowed visitors to park next to the road and swim in the creek.”
Carl LaVO can be reached at carllavo0@gmail.com. Signed copies of his“Bucks County Adventures” are available at bookstores in Newtown, Doylestown and Lahaska.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Treatment of Lenape tribe and a bridge to nowhere in Bucks County
