Lansdowne, PA

The old sycamore that still stands in Lansdowne, Pa., took root more than three centuries ago, when William Penn was still a boy. Through the Colonial period, the American Revolution, and the Civil War, the tree grew until, in 1893, a town sprouted up around it—the Borough of Lansdowne (pop. 11,044). Now, the town that put down roots more than 200 years after the sycamore is passionate about preserving the tree.

For decades, school gatherings met under the tree and children played in its shade. During the 1920s, a house was built on the lot and several generations of the same family lived there caring for the sycamore as it grew, so close to the house its branches could be reached from the windows. The tree became special—when a logo was sought for the town, a depiction of it was chosen as Lansdowne’s official emblem in a 1976 contest.

Then, some 60 years after the house the sycamore had shaded was built, it was sold. When the town learned the new owner planned to develop the lot and cut down the tree, Lansdowne’s residents were spurred to action.

“As far as we know, the tree has never been struck by lightning. Kids have played in its branches for generations,” says Matt Schultz, who grew up in Lansdowne and is president of the Greater Lansdowne Civic Association. “The nearby area was paved over, yet there must be an underground water source because the tree continued to thrive. If the sycamore survived all this, it wasn’t coming down on our watch,” Schultz says.

The campaign to save the tree took life when a resident made a donation to the civic association and a deal was struck with the property’s owner—the association had a year to raise the remaining sum necessary to purchase the lot. If it failed, the donor’s earnest money would be forfeit and the tree would be cut.

Residents rallied and fund-raisers were held. Grants were obtained, donations were solicited—and the challenge was met. When the association presented the town with enough to buy the property, the house was demolished, with care taken to excavate its foundation away from the sycamore’s roots.

A designer created a park surrounding the tree, and when an apartment house on an adjacent lot burned down some time later, the association purchased that property also and had Sycamore Park redesigned. All told, more than $250,000 was raised and much labor donated to save the sycamore and create the park, Schultz says.

Lansdowne’s William Penn Tree (so designated because it was standing when Penn set foot in Pennsylvania) is the oldest of the borough’s historic treasures, but it’s not the only one. Community members have restored Lansdowne’s 1902 train station, designed by architect Frank Furness, as well as its war memorials and monuments. Residents also worked to have two 19th-century neighborhoods declared historic districts.

“Lansdowne has houses of every vintage from the 18th century on,” Schultz says, “You can walk through town and see history reflected in the architecture. People travel all over to see places that have maintained their history, but some of them are contrived. Lansdowne is the genuine article.”

A walkable town, Lansdowne’s neighborhoods, parks, and business district are linked by sidewalks. People tend to stay. Those who do leave often return each year for the Fourth of July parade and fireworks. The borough even has its own symphony orchestra, begun by members of a Bible class at the Presbyterian Church 54 years ago.

Georgeanna Juliano, one who worked to save the sycamore, says, “There’s a sense of community here. Everybody works together when the need arises. The town is a touchstone in the lives of those who’ve grown up here. There’s a real sense of belonging.”

“You know the game ‘Six Degrees of Separation?’ We joke about it,” Juliano says, “but it’s true: In Lansdowne, there are only two degrees of separation between any of us.”

Freelance writer Tina Coleman is a Lansdowne native and daughter of the late Ed Nelson, designer of the winning entry in Lansdowne’s logo contest.

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