Three benches made from historical Sherborn sycamore tree to be auctioned. what to know.
Norman Miller, The MetroWest Daily News
Thu, December 12, 2024 at 4:47 AM EST
SHERBORN — When Deacon Joseph Dowse moved to Sherborn in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, he planted four trees — two sycamores and two ashes.
The last of those trees, a 243-year-old sycamore, came down last year from the spot that it had stood, overseeing North Main Street (Route 27) and known as Dowse Corner.
Now, there’s an opportunity to own a piece of that historical tree.
As part of Sherborn’s 350th celebration, three benches made with pieces of the downed sycamore are being auctioned off to raise money for the Sherborn History Center and Museum, according to Mary Moore, co-chair of the Sherborn 350th Celebration committee.
These three benches are made from wood from the Dowse Sycamore in Sherborn, a 243-year-old tree that came down last year. They are being auctioned off to benefit the Sherborn History Center & Museum.
“When the tree came down, a couple of people thought the wood would be worth saving, because it was the last one,” she said. “We wanted to do something to honor the heritage of the tree, and we could celebrate the town.”
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In 2013, a historical marker was placed at the location of the trees. At the time, only two remained; the other two were blown down in 1938. The trees stood across from Dowse Orchards, which operates to this day.
What makes the tree significant?
“It is believed that four trees, two ash and two sycamores, were set out in 1780 by Joseph Dowse at the end of the Revolutionary War. Several generations later, one ash and one sycamore, were blown down in the hurricane of 1938,” according to the marker. “Charles Arthur Dowse Jr. and his mother Jesse carefully counted the rings on the destroyed trees and found that the years they recorded were consistent with the trees having been planted around 1780. The remaining trees, one ash and one sycamore, approximately 233 years old, are located at Dowse’s corner, on common land opposite the Farm Stand.”
To turn the wood into something people would want, the committee decided to work with Kevin Delaney, owner of Pleasant View Woodworks. Delaney, a Sherborn native, is a retired Wayland High School history teacher who took up a second career in woodworking.
“I’ve been a history guy for my whole life and was a pretty serious woodworking enthusiast,” he said. “I’ve always been super interested in local history — I did my master thesis on a pretty famous cider mill in Sherborn.”
What style are the benches?
Delaney took the wood and designed three different style benches. One, described as the “Paul Revere Bench,” is inspired after a bench at Paul Revere’s house in Boston. The second is the “Mid-Century Modern Bench,” and the third is the “Rustic Porch Style Bench.”
“The story of the Dowse Sycamore is what gives the benches their specialness,” Delaney said. “It’s a great way to celebrate a second life for the tree.”
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Those interested in owning a piece of the trees have until 8 p.m. Monday to bid at www.ebay.com/usr/folkandwhimsy. As of midday Wednesday, the Rustic bench had a bid of $510; the Paul Revere had a bid of $650 and the Mid-Century’s bid was at $760.
All three benches can be viewed Saturday at the 350th Time Capsule opening ceremony. That takes place at 10 a.m. at the 1858 Town House, 3 Sanger St.
“We thought this would be a great way to end our 350th year,” Moore said. “These are beautiful benches.”
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Benches made from historic Sherborn tree will be auctioned off
