On Monday, July 20 at the regular board meeting of the Oley Valley Heritage Association, President Kelly Spatz remarked that the historic Sacred Oak Tree that was beloved and worshipped by the Native Americans of the Oley Valley (on the property of Mr. Chris Hartman) is in grave shape after the tree was damaged by a lightning strike on one of its major limbs. This ancient tree, a landmark cherished by Oley pioneers as well as Native Americans, is located below Oley Valley Middle School along Friedensberg Road. It was worshipped by Native Americans long after local tribes had left our iconic Oley Valley.
According to Mrs. Spatz, the Oley Township supervisors have contacted a tree expert to find out what can be done to enhance the livelihood of this historic Oley Valley landmark that in its old age (hundreds of years) does not seem to have sufficient nourishment from the land that spawned the huge yellow Oak, which is not native to the local area. It is a God’s Head Tree that, according to tradition, had the power to cure Indians or individuals who were brought there or prayed for under its miraculous powers, according to the local pioneers.
When I was a teacher at Oley Valley High School, a number of my students wanted to carve a wooden marker along the Friedensberg roadside to commemorate the famous Sacred Oak, but since it was on the private grounds of Mrs. Schutt, we felt that her privacy might be challenged by the public who desperately wanted to see this God’s Head Tree.
However, since this tree was somewhat secluded, storms and Mother Nature have not treated it well, but it is surviving in the wilds of the Oley Valley. According to the tree expert hired to look after the Sacred Oak, it suffers from malnutrition, and this should be corrected. Also, since the tree limbs were damaged by lightning, the tree is not balanced as well as it should be.
George M. Meiser IX, longtime historian who wrote about this tree (in 1994) and I have advocated love and protection for this unusual God’s Head Tree. So, when Kelly Spatz asked the board of the Oley Valley Heritage Association what we can do to help the owners of this unique tree, I immediately proposed that we should donate $1,000 to preserve this tree for prosperity, as well as salute our living memories of the Indian tribes who once occupied the Oley Valley.
Since this living tree is on private land, it would not be proper for the Township of Oley to spend tax money on it. “It is for us, the living, to support this God’s Head Tree, and it is now up to the free souls of the Oley Valley to join in the spirit world to sustain this Americana growth of liberty and freedom that still survives in the Oley Valley.”
If any other free spirit wishes to contribute to this project to save and preserve our historic Sacred Oak, you may send your donation payable to “Oley Township” with “Sacred Oak Project” on the memo line of your check. Send your donation to the Oley Township Municipal Building, 1 Rose Virginia Road, Oley, PA 19547. Also, if anyone has further information about the Sacred Oak, please contact the Oley Valley Heritage Association at P.O. Box 401, Oley, PA 19547-0401.
Richard Shaner is director of the American Folklife Institute in Kutztown.