Saturday afternoon one of Statesboro's oldest trees in the 300 block of Savannah Avenue fell. The tree huge oak tree is believed to have been planted in the early 1900's according to Virginia Anne Franklin Waters, Director of the Bulloch County Historical Society and resident of Savannah Avenue.
The tree struck the neighbor's vehicle but there appears to be very little damage to either of the homes. There were no injuries caused by the downed tree.
Downtown Statesboro has had an unusual amount of rainfall over the past few days. It is not known if this contributed to the downed tree.
Rich History
According to Waters both of the houses impacted have a rich history of ownership.
The brick home, where the tree was planted is the former home of the late Bill and Honey Bowen. Bowen was a former Mayor of Statesboro and his wife Honey was a large philanthropist in the city. Honey is credited with the founding of the recreation department and the beautification committee.
The two story wooden home was the childhood home of the late Joe Pate Johnston. Johnston began Johnston Insurance, now Lee, Hill & Johnston Insurors whose office remains on Savannah Avenue, and Johnston Realty which is now Berkshire Hathaway/Kennedy Realty.
