82 1/4″ – 76 1/2″ Long
56 1/2″- 41 1/2″ Wide
3″- 2 7/8″ Thick
(Front) Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page. Split down the center held together slightly (great for a butterfly line!)
82 1/4″ – 76 1/2″ Long
56 1/2″- 41 1/2″ Wide
3″- 2 7/8″ Thick
(Back)
Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page. Split down the center held together slightly (great for a butterfly line!)
82″ – 77″ Long
56 1/2″- 41 1/2″ Wide
3 1/2″ Thick
Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the grayish dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page. Split down the center held together slightly (great for a butterfly line!)
82″ – 77″ Long
56 1/2″- 41 1/2″ Wide
3 1/2″ Thick
Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the grayish dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page. Split down the center held together slightly (great for a butterfly line!)
82 3/8″ – 76 1/2″ Long
56 1/2″- 41 1/2″ Wide
3 1/2″ – 3 3/8″ Thick Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the grayish dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page. Split down the center held together slightly (great for a butterfly line!)
82 1/8″ – 74 1/2″ Long
54″- 41 7/8″ Wide
3 1/2″ – 3 3/8″ Thick Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the grayish dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in other images, or the detail image near bottom of page.
82 5/8″ – 76 3/4″ Long
52″- 40 1/2″ Wide
3 1/8″- 2 3/4″ Thick Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the other images, or the detail image near bottom of page.
81 1/2″ – 76 1/2″ Long
47-38″ Wide
3″- 2 7/8″ Thick Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Metal staining is the grayish dark area, could possibly be bullet fragments from Quantrill’s Raid. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the image, or the detail image near bottom of page.
81 1/2″ – 76 3/4″ Long
49″- 35 3/4″ Wide
2 7/8″- 2 3/4″ Thick Note: Rough milled wood, ready to work. Wood will finish dark reddish brown similar to dark areas in the other images or detail image near bottom of page.
In 2016 we received a message from a friend that a very large tree was being removed from his neighbor’s house in historic Old West Lawrence, Kansas. HAVA studios was able to salvage around 9′ of this massive honey locust tree with the permission of the gracious home owner. The process was somewhat slow, but we were able to use a portable mill to cut the tree on site. And in a few days we had the tree cut into slabs and the area cleaned up. We were so glad to be able to save a 200 year old honey locust tree from being fully shredded in the chipper. This was not the end of this tree’s historic journey!
When the homeowner, who happened to be a biologist at KU, counted the rings of the tree to find it was over 200 years old, we knew we wanted to learn more about its story. The history relates to the Civil War, Quantrill’s raid in Lawrence, the US Senator James Lane, and much more. We worked with Watkins Museum on the history of the property which belonged to Mr. Richard’s during the Lawrence Massacre. Through research, they found a map of Lawrence from 1873, over 50 years after this tree was planted and a narrative excerpt as follows:
‘Excerpt from narrative of the Lawrence Massacre (Quantrill’s Raid, August 21, 1863) By Hovey E. Loweman: “A party of two or three [Bushwackers] went into Mr. Richards house, which was located near Mr. Guest’s on the same street, and Mr. Richard was still in. One of them leveled his pistol at Mr. Richards, who is an elderly man, and doubtlessly would have killed him on the spot, had his daughter not instantly grasped the arm of the fiend and destroyed his aim. This gave her father a chance to escape from the room. A ravine filled with the rank entangled growth of the underbrush ran just back of his garden. He slipped quickly out of the rear door of his house and ran for his life to that cover. The bushwhackers pursued him and fired at him, but he reached the ravine and safety. …They did not, however, burn it [the house].”…’ Courtesy of: “Douglas County Historical Society, Watkins Museum of History” ©2022 Monica Davis, Research Assistant, Watkins Museum of History.
An interesting point is that Senator James Lane, who Quantrill and the Bushwackers were especially targeting not only was the one who originally owned and developed this section of Lawrence, both Mr. Richard and Senator Lane hid in the ravine behind the house, and their lives were saved. If Mr. Richard’s house would have been burned by the Bushwackers, the tree may not have survived. We did find metal stains in the tree, but we were unable to confirm that it was a remnant of the fiend’s foul shot.
Thankfully, HAVA Studios is pleased to announce that after a long-anticipated wait, these 8 historic live edge slabs are currently available to purchase. Once the wood is milled it takes around one year for every inch of thickness to dry inside without using a kiln. These honey locust slabs are 3-3.5″ thick, and they have gone through the long time needed for drying and we have exciting plans for tables with these slabs. For each table we offer a beautiful dossier with the history, a framed map, and each piece will be a signed limited edition piece. There are only 8 slabs available. These wood slabs are currently raw milled and are ready to be made into your dream table. The price will be dependent on the design and labor requirements, and we will be inlaying bronze markers on rings of the tree correlating with history dates. Also available are design engraving, inlay, pyrography, or painted theme or concept. Openings are filled with metallic or other resins. We provide cast bronze, iron, or aluminum legs, and fabrication of metal, wood or other material legs. The possibilities are almost endless. Each table should be around 7-9′ Long x 47″-65.5″ Wide. We can also provide the chairs/benches or other elements that relate. We are also offering 4-6 large round cut sections from this tree, which will make a great coffee table, kitchen tables, or even side tables.
This is an extremely unique opportunity to own a piece of United States of America and specifically, Lawrence, Kansas history. Please contact us to discuss your requirements, request additional images, or set up a time to see the slabs. Slabs are available unfinished, finished, or as a finished historic collectible.
HAVA studios