Wind Topples An Ancient Maple Onto A Main Street Landmark

On the blustery afternoon of Saturday, November 29, a stately maple tree, which once framed the view of The Scudder Building at 30 Main Street, fell victim to a gust of wind, toppling backward toward the stout, compact red-brick structure, damaging it and the adjacent house at 28 Main Street.

The big maple, which had become hollow due to aging and rot, stood near the northwest corner of the historic building, which formerly housed Newtown’s town clerk’s office. The tree fell over at about 3:25 pm, following a day of high winds. There were no injuries in the incident.

One part of the tree fell onto the northern end of the building and another part fell across the structure’s western façade. The impacts completely destroyed the sections of two chimneys that extend upward from the roof. The building’s façade, slate roof, gutters, and trim were damaged by the impact.

Newtown Hook and Ladder firefighters were called to the scene at 3:25 pm. Third Assistant Fire Chief Justin Moser, who served as incident commander, said the fallen tree had brought down utility lines leading to 30 and 28 Main Street. Firefighters secured the area to prevent access to the downed live electrical lines, he said.

Three people who were inside 30 Main Street when the tree fell were told to remain inside until utility crews arrived shut off the electricity, Mr Moser said. The building contains an office.

At about 3:25 pm, Maureen McLachlan was routinely walking her black-and-white springer spaniel named Annie northward on Main Street. Ms McLachlan had just passed by 30 Main Street when she heard a distinctive cracking sound. Her dog jumped.

“I passed [by] and it fell and I was just so shocked,” Ms McLachlan said. “It was a crack. It was definitely a crackling sound,” she said.

“I actually saw the tree coming down,” she added, noting that she was “fairly close” to the tree when it began to drop.

Jennifer Simms was in the Booth Library across Main Street at 3:25 pm that day.

It was so windy that the library’s windows were shaking. “The winds were really bad that day,” she said.

Ms Simms heard a “cracking” sound across the street. As she looked out a library window, the large maple across the street slowly pitched backward and fell onto the two buildings, she said. A trunk of the maple tree skidded across the front of the building at 30 Main Street and came to rest on the house at 28 Main Street, she said.

“It was very scary,” Ms Simms said. She applauded the firefighters’ swift response to the scene and prompt attention to the problem.

Shortly after the tree fell, a squirrel scampered about in the top of the large tree branch that was still resting on the building. After the limb was removed, the squirrel was seen investigating the sawed-off stump, which was all that remained of its arboreal home.

R. Scudder Smith, who owns 30 Main Street, said the extensively damaged building is under repair. A damage estimate was not available.

Workmen from Newtown Tree Service, Inc, went to the scene and worked well into the night, cutting away pieces of the fallen tree, returning the following day for cleanup work. Alan Potter, who formerly owned the firm, also pitched in with the repair work.

Sinopoli Contractors of Southford is making the repairs to the damaged chimneys and slate roof. Mark Eigenbrodt of Bridgeport is doing the carpentry repairs on the building.