Around the time the Treloar Mercantile Building was built in 1896 to welcome the new KATY Railroad, an elm tree started to grow next to it. It grew for more than 100 years, providing beauty and shade. A few years ago, it died. So, when we recently bought the Treloar Mercantile building, we also bought a large, dead elm tree.
We decided to turn the stump of the tree into a tribute to one of the main reasons the railroad and the town of Treloar prospered for many years — the corn that was grown in the nearby river bottom fields and the grain elevators that still stand across the street and shipped trainloads of corn and grain to market.
Back in July, Bill Spradley from Trees, Forests and 
Landscapes in Kirkwood took down the tree, leaving a 12-foot stump. In August, a talented carver and his 2 assistants (from the Wood Den in Festus) removed everything from the stump that didn’t look like an ear of Missouri field corn. Above are the before, during and after photos.
This is what 3 men, 6 chainsaws and 7 hours can accomplish. We hope sometime this fall you can come to see it and visit the Peers Store, just 3 miles away.
When you visit, take a selfie and post with #katycorn. Show your pic at the Peers Store for a free ice cream! 🍦
Special thanks to Bill Spradley from Trees, Forests and Landscapes and the talented carver from the Wood Den
in Festus and his 2 assistants who made it all possible!