By Ivan Pereira
When a nearly century-old tree near the King Manor Museum came down two weekends ago, administrators of the historic site said they did not hear the linden tree make a sound, but its demise echoed throughout the historic community.
The city removed the 40-foot tree Friday, just days after it was brought down by the torrential storm that swept through Queens on the weekend of March 13.
Although the linden was not as old as some of the plants on the property, some of which were planted by founding father Rufus King himself, the people who have been maintaining the land said they were upset its life was cut short.
“We celebrate the trees we have and we’re sorry to lose any of them,” said Kathy Forrestal, the director of education at King Manor.
Forrestal said the tree’s age was anywhere between 75 and 100 years old and tests were being done by the city Parks Department to determine its rightful age. There are other unknown facts surrounding the history of the tree at King Manor, which is within Rufus King Park.
“Who planted that — we’d have to go back to the Parks Department records and find that out,” she said.
Although Mother Nature was the driving force that brought the linden down, Forrestal said some of mankind’s handiwork around King Manor was a factor as well. Linden trees have roots that can be affected by street construction, she said.
“The tree is in very good health, but it was growing next to the sidewalk on 153rd Street,” she said.
Despite losing one of her trees, Forrestal said she and her fellow administrators were relieved that none of the King Manor’s oldest trees were destroyed during the storm. King, one of the original signers of the U.S. Constitution, enjoyed gardening and planted many trees on his family farm in Jamaica.
The founding father, who died in 1827, planted 13 oak trees in 1810 in honor of the 13 original American colonies.
Forrestal said the linden tree’s removal would not go unnoticed, since King Manor is occasionally planting new trees to fill the space and educate the public about their benefits.
“We’re sorry to lose any tree. To have the tree highly planted, it keeps the landscape historically accurate,” she said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
