JANESVILLE
One of Janesvilleâs biggest, oldest, and arguably most historic oak trees is losing limbs, and the Rock County Historical Society is trying to figure out whyâand how to save the tree.
Officials said that during an otherwise windless and quiet night on Saturday, the giant bur oak tree on the northwest side of the historical societyâs Lincoln-Tallman Restorations grounds shed an enormous set of limbs. They snapped off and fell to the ground.
The oak tree, known locally as the Witness Tree, has stood at the Tallman House property since at least the 1850s. The tree is believed to have been living when former President Abraham Lincoln visited the Tallman House in October 1859.
JANESVILLE
Josh Stratton is supervising a crew that is giving a fresh look to the circa 1855 house that puts Janesville on so many maps.
âItâs more fun to work in. Itâs a part of history,â Stratton said Wednesday as he gave The Gazette a tour of the work, which will give a fresh look to the mansion-museum called the Lincoln-Tallman Restorations
Stratton, of the Janesville-based American Paint & Paper, figures his crew has patched and taped miles of wall cracks.
Josh Stratton of American Paint & Paper brushes dust away after sanding the molding of an elliptical opening inside Janesvilleâs Lincoln-Tallman House that allows a view between the first and second floors. The work is being done to prepare the surface for new paint and is part of an interior restoration of the first and second floors.
Terry Hatch lost the baseball collection of his youth when he went into the Navy, but he kept the many political pins and buttons he collected as a boy.