Dutch elm disease, a lethal fungus, was first introduced to the United States in the early 1900s through elm logs imported from Europe. The disease caused millions of elm trees throughout the United States to decay, wilt, and ultimately die.

In the early 2000s, Dutch elm disease infected a large North American elm tree on Church Street in front of the Frueauff House, the home of Moravian University presidents. When a large branch fell onto the house, Moravian decided to remove the 160-year-old elm for safety reasons.

The university cut cross-sections of the tree and preserved the slices in an effort to honor its historical significance.

Some slices were crafted into tables by artist Michael Kane, some were donated to Martin Guitar in Nazareth, and others were turned into mulch for use at Moravian’s South Campus. One notable slice is currently located at Main Hall, a first-year residence hall on Moravian’s Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. Here, the tree slice serves as a table in the President’s Lounge.

Another large slice, almost 5 feet in diameter, was donated to Dr. Frank Kuserk, former professor of biology and director of the Environmental Studies and Sciences Program. Kuserk envisioned turning this slab into a historical timeline, utilizing the tree’s rings as markers for major milestones and events for both Moravian University and the city of Bethlehem.

Sadly, the research project came to a halt when Kuserk suddenly passed away in 2017. In the summer of 2022, Dr. Natasha Woods, associate professor of biology, and I aimed to honor his vision by continuing where he left off.

The tree slice was sanded and any remaining pieces of bark were removed. With age, a tree creates rings which correlate to the number of years it was alive. By counting the rings, we were able to conclude that the elm was planted around the mid 1840s.

After preparing the tree slice, we began correlating the rings to important events in the history of the city of Bethlehem and Moravian University. Some of these events include the founding of the Bethlehem Steel (1857), Moravian declaring itself as the first coeducational institution of higher education in the Lehigh Valley (1954), and the construction of the Sands Casino Resort (2007). These dates were chosen in consultation with the previous Director of the Environmental Studies and Sciences program, Dr. Diane Husic.

We are unable to craft a physical display of the piece due to the significant weight and size of the slice. My father, Andrew Gabovitz, provided funding for a nearly life-size poster of the tree with the corresponding timeline. This piece is currently hanging on the third floor of Collier Hall of Science for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to learn more about the tree and Moravian’s history.