Long before Heritage Conservancy existed, and well before the Mercers crafted their legendary landmark homes in Doylestown, a special tree took root. 

For close to 300 years, this Bur Oak grew on a plot of land in Doylestown that went on to host William and Martha Mercer and the Aldie Mansion home and gardens they built. 

More than a century before the Mercers built their residence here, and over 200 years before Heritage Conservancy formed, this hearty oak was growing in the fertile soil that feeds the property’s pollinator meadow and gardens.

So it felt momentous to many when that massive Bur Oak fell in the storms of May 2025.

“It is the cycle of life and nature,” says Heritage Conservancy’s Senior Biologist Tyler Kovaks. “Though we are sad, we recognize that all things in nature have a lifespan, and even trees like this one cannot live forever.”

For this reason, Tyler has been cultivating seedlings from the historic oak and is growing a few in the native plant nursery at Heritage Conservancy’s Rusell-Mandel Nature Preserve – direct descendants from the original Aldie Bur Oak.

The Significance

“The Bur Oak had a presence that needed to be experienced in person and cannot be fully captured in words,” says Liz Barmach, a Senior Development Associate who has led property tours for visitors over the years. “Standing under it felt magical and instantly calming.” 

Though we cannot date the tree exactly, it is estimated to be between 250 and 300 years old. It was considered one of the largest spanning Bur Oak trees in the area, at 136 feet.

Heritage Conservancy has been protecting land and nature since 1958 but only became keepers of the Bur Oak and gardens when we moved into Aldie Mansion in 1991 – rescuing it from neglect in its post-Mercer years. The mansion stands as a model of adaptive reuse of a historic structure, housing offices and event space.

Part of this effort included renovations and the addition of an event space to turn Aldie Mansion into a wedding venue, with rental revenue fueling the work and mission of Heritage Conservancy.

photo by Taylor Alexis

A number of Aldie Mansion weddings have taken place under the long, graceful branches of the old oak. To those couples, the site of the tree is sacred ground, rooting them in the promise of a bright wedded future. 

Aldie remains a premiere Bucks County wedding venue and also a host site for events and conferences. There was no damage to the mansion or surrounding gardens.

photo by DMP Family Life

With the Bur Oak gone, Heritage Conservancy is now working closely with Jeffery A. Miller Hospitality Group to improve the mansion grounds to better serve the many couples who continue to plan their weddings here. We are looking to the future and embracing the opportunity to envision a new garden setting.

A Fitting Farewell

In the meantime, we have repaired our boundary fence, and we look forward to viewing the “tree cookie” – a cross section of the trunk that may help us to better calculate the exact age of the mighty Bur Oak.

It took a massive crane and a full day to remove the tree in pieces, with a single section weighing an estimated 19,000 pounds. The tree was taken down with special care to preserve as much of its wood as possible.

photo by Barbara Bell-Hawkey

True to our organizational values, staffers kept some of the tree’s leaves to press in remembrance. And Heritage Conservancy plans to upcycle as much wood as possible from the fallen oak. When the tree lost a limb last year, we worked with a local artisan to turn a beautiful bowl that was auctioned as a fundraiser at our Christmas at Aldie fundraiser.

photo courtesy of Cider Press Woodworks

We are working now with Bucks County artisans, including the George Nakashima Woodworkers and Cider Press Woodworks, to make the most of the wood from the Bur Oak – to save the useable parts of the trunk to turn into furniture. As Heritage Conservancy focuses on both land conservation and historic preservation, it seems a fitting tribute.

Lead photo by Barbara Bell-Hawkey.