A large 85-foot German oak tree was chopped down Thursday after standing tall for nearly 100 years in Picayune.

The Christian Brothers Tree Service used a crane to cut down the tree limb by limb.

“We hate cutting down a tree with so much history but it was its time,” said Noel Burge, owner of Christian Brothers Tree Service.

The tree has been a part of Darris Moeller’s family since his grandfather, Oscar Moeller, brought it to Pearl River County from Germany in 1850.

His grandfather homesteaded 800 acres of land running from Old Kiln Road around to Moeller Road and down to Caesar Road, Moeller said.

“He brought the oak seed and planted it on the property” Moeller said. “The tree truly defies wind because of its heavy trunk.”

However, it couldn’t defy fire.

Years ago, a garage near the tree caught fire burning one side of it. Since then, the tree had been hovering over a house on the property.

Recently, Moeller’s son, Farron Moeller, purchased the property since the land was split years ago between Moeller’s father and his two sisters.

“Now we’re trying to start a cattle business on this land so we’re trying to rejuvenate it,” Moeller said.

Many of the tree’s remains will find new life as art.

Local chainsaw artist James Seal took dozens of logs and said he plans to transform the wood into aquatic animals to sell in the community.