Raynors HCA 2019-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/21/2019
A beautifully turned relic from the Stuyvesant Pear Tree, 3.5" high and 1"at its base to which is affixed a small paper label with the note: "Stuyvesant Pear Tree". Small scuffs along portion of base, else fine condition. Peter Stuyvesant returned to New York in 1667 after a three year absence following the British takeover of the city. When he returned as a private citizen, he brought with him a flowering pear tree which he planted at what is now the corner of Third Avenue and East 13th Street. Stuyvesant planted the tree "by which my name may be remembered." The tree stood there for exactly 200 years as the city grew and developed around it. According to an article in Harper's Monthly, the tree was considered "the oldest living thing in the city of New York." The winter of 1867 however delivered a blow from which the venerable tree could not recover. A massive winter storm in 1867 weakened the tree significantly. And, despite the iron fence that had been erected, it was not sufficient to protect the tree from the collision of two drays (low flat carts), one of which was thrown against the tree. The tree, which had become a tourist attraction as one of the last physical vestiges of the Dutch presence in the city, had to be taken down. A small cross section of the tree was given to the New York Historical Society and is part of their permanent collection. A plaque now marks the spot where this venerable tree once stood. Other sections were turned into keepsakes by enterprising entrepreneurs including the present example
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