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The Giant Oak

What is so sad...it is lying across the spring of Loy's widow and her daughter’s home.  The state says it is the land owner’s responsibility to remove it.  At first the state was going to bring in a crane.  The land belongs to other people.  Tiny told us the other night that the tree tore out the back part of the spring

This giant Oak has been setting on the west side of Knobley road for a long time. 

It was located across the road from the residence of Mary “Tiny’ (Snyder) Smith and the late Loy Smith.

It set at their spring and fell across it when it came down Sunday afternoon April 03, 2005 in a terrible wind storm that swept across the area uprooting many trees in its path and doing damage to homes and buildings.

Walter and Linda Michael were leaving church at the Knobley Church of the Brethren and were on their way to their home outside of Moorefield when they passed the area and had found a tree blocking the road way.  They turned around and were coming back to go home another way when Walter braked to warn Lawrence and Elaine Rotruck of the tree blocking the road.  As they braked the tree fell in front of the Michael Vehicle.

This oak has set here along Knobley pike and watched many changes take place.  At one time it was a tiny tree and grew to this size taking many years.

 It has watched many people come and go.  It probably was standing when some of the very first settlers came to the area.

At one time the road going by it was only a path and then slowly grew wider over the years.  No doubt it witnessed the first automobile passing it.  It probably watched groups of people walking by in the moonlight to church at Knobley. 

It felt the dust from the cars as they passed on a dry summer day before the roads were ever hard capped. 

It weathered many a storm over the years and finally the decaying at the root gave way and it fell.   One great landmark of the area is gone.

The big tree out at Loy’s that just about got Walter and Linda on their way home from Church.  They had passed the area and found another tree further out blocking the road so had turned and was coming back to go another way.  They were meeting another couple from church so Walter began braking to stop to tell hem the road was blocked when the tree fell.  Linda said he slammed on the brakes and she thought they were never going to get stopped. 

From the road -  up the drive way to Otto’s house

From the road -  up the drive way to Otto’s house

Do you know where this is?  I pulled it up the other day and wondered where this building is and then went to the pictures I took at the same time and then I remembered.