The “Most UNUSUAL Tree in New Jersey”

Richland, NJ is a community located along Route 40 in Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County, in the center of Southern New Jersey. It’s designated as a “Village” in the Pinelands National Reserve and has a population of about 825. If you’re driving along Route 40 and not paying close attention you could easily pass through Richland without even noticing it. Aside from the replica of the town’s original train depot, which was rebuilt in the 1960s, there isn’t much here to catch your eye. Look a little bit closer though as you pass the open field next to that depot and you’ll see a strange leafless tree standing as the centerpiece of a park. The enormous dead tree has been stripped of all of its bark and seems to have been polished to the luster of fine hardwood flooring. What’s even more unexpected though, are the dozens of images carved into the trunk and branches of the weird wooden sculpture: Native Americans, animals, liquor advertisements, road signs… and trains.

Buena Vista’s town website promotes Richland as “A Unique Railroad Themed Destination.” In 1894 two major railroads connected this rural farming community to the rest of the nation; the Pennsylvania Railroad’s high-speed electrified line between Camden and Atlantic City, and the Reading Company’s Atlantic City Railroad between Winslow Junction and Cape May City. In June of 1933, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company merged their southern New Jersey operations to form the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines and local passenger service to Richland ended in 1935. Since then, it has been all freight trains with the exception of the occasional Cape May Seashore Lines, which operates excursion train service from Richland to Tuckahoe, from a scale reproduction of the original Richland Depot, which was removed in the mid-1960s.

Until recently, one of the local landmarks of Richland was a giant White Oak tree that grew in Saw Mill Park in the heart of the Village. The ancient tree was a great source of pride for the community and became something of a symbol of Richland’s long history. All that changed in 2015 though, when the 235-year old tree died, leaving the Village wondering what to do about the lost symbol of their identity. The town’s website tells the story of what happened next:

“When time took the life of this tree, it still had 125 ft. wing span. Our community searched for ideas to allow this otherwise dead tree to live on. The idea of a Tree Monument was born with the guidance of Mayor Chuck Chiarello and the Township Committee in honor of the 150th Anniversary of Buena Vista Township. It would be a tree that depicted the Township’s history and yet transformed into a contemporary piece of art. With the help of local tree surgeon Gary Heitz and a talented chainsaw artist by the name of Brian Ackley the Tree Monument was born.”

Over $20,000 was raised from the community to complete the project, which included the trimming, carving, paving, fencing, and planting of seven young white oak trees. The newly carved tree was unveiled at the official Sesquicentennial Event for the Township’s 150th Birthday held on May 27, 2017. At twelve o’clock noon a special dedication was held for the Tree Monument, which depicts almost 40 different carvings that show the past and modern history of Buena Vista Township.

Most of the images represented in the carvings are ones you might expect to find used to chronicle any small town’s history: churches, the sports team’s mascot, the EMS and Fire Department, the general store, agricultural scenes, the town’s clock tower, the saw mill, the railroad and even the major byways, in this case Routes 54 & 40. Other symbols are a bit more unexpected, like the OLD MAN – Symbolizes Father Time’s role in Buena Vista’s History; the OWL – Symbol of a number of types of owls that call Buena Vista home; the DEER – The most prevalent animal seen in the Township; and RICHLAND CARPET – A local merchant established in 1971 on Route 40.

At the foot of great tree monument lays a marble marker, donated by a local tombstone carver, that tells the tale of the great arbor. It is inscribed:

“Here stood a mighty white oak tree for 235 years (Approx.: 1780-2015) next to a saw mill that led the way for the once mighty railroads to crisscross here in Richland. When time took the life from this tree it still had a 125’ wingspan and was over 50’ high. It was trimmed to a contemporary piece of art by local Tree Surgeon Gary Heitz and carved by Chainsaw Artist Brian Ackley. The result is The Tree Monument, perhaps… ‘The Most UNUSUAL Tree in New Jersey.’”

And unusual it is, especially when viewed at night with the ground mounted spotlights casting dark eerie shadows across the stoic faces of the Indian Chief and Brave, Father Time and the Wise Old Owl.

Cheers to Richland! or ¡Salud a Mojito!

On April 26, 2004, the Buena Vista Township Committee voted to temporarily rename the community of Richland for the first half of the month of May 2004. Richland became Mojito, named after the Cuban rum drink. Bacardi had offered to give the township $5,000 for recreation projects in exchange for commemorating the new name with a sign on U.S. Route 40 for those weeks. Richland was chosen because it is home to the family-run Dalponte Farms, a major East Coast supplier of mint, an essential ingredient of the mojito.

And yes, this episode in the Village’s story too has been etched into the recorded history of this most unusual tree’s trunk.

The preceding article is an excerpt from issue #52 of Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com.  All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

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