Watch Video Of Iconic Library Tree Being Cut Down

CHATHAM -- The old horse chestnut tree on the front lawn of the Eldredge Public Library was cut down Wednesday morning.

The iconic tree, thought to be 100 to 150 years old, was chainsawed apart by a crew hired by the town. During the process, a number of people stopped by to claim branches or chunks of wood from the tree, including members of the Chatham/Harwich Woodworking Group. The largest portions of the tree's trunk were given to the Chatham Friends of Trees.,

A new landscaping plan for the library's front lawn necessitated the removal of the tree along with one other. In order to accommodate an accessible pathway and a new sidewalk, the roots of the tree would have been damaged, weakening it. Officials determined it needed to come down for safety reasons.