KINGS SETTLEMENT CHURCH -- ITS END TIMES

KINGS SETTLEMENT CHURCH – ITS END TIMES

Donald A. Windsor

Once the roof caves in, a building is doomed. The roof of the Kings Settlement Church fell in a few years ago. On 9 November 2017, I took these 3 photos.

Front, west side. #2794

North side. #2792

South side. #2793

A photo of the Church in much better condition appears in this article, along with its history.

Scott, Patricia F. ; Decker, Janet. The Kingsettlement Methodist Church of North Norwich.

The Evening Sun 2003 December 12 Friday: 11.

An earlier article, recently reprinted is:

King, Ada A history of Kings Settlement Church. Journal of the Chenango County

Historical Society 2017 Summer; 6: 74-79.

An article on the hamlet as well as the church is:

Hazard, Mildred E. King’s Settlement. In: Anon. Next Stop Galena. Historical Perspective

of North Norwich, New York, 1849-1999. North Norwich, NY: Sesquicentennial Book/Planning Committee. 1999. Pages 52-54.

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DEVIL'S WALKING STICK (= HERCULES' CLUB)

DEVIL’S WALKING STICK (= HERCULES’ CLUB) IN NORTH NORWICH

Donald A. Windsor

Devil’s Walking Stick, also known as Hercules’ Club (Aralia spinosa), was found by Pete Bida on Thursday afternoon 9 November 2017 on our Bullthistle hike in the Whaupaunaucau State Forest in North Norwich, growing in a small grove along Trail 13. This member of the Araliacae (Ginseng) Family is native to southern New York State, down to Florida and west to Texas (Symonds).

It has been reported as vouchered (specimens in herbarium collection) from 11 counties in NYS on the New York Flora Association website. The closest are Delaware, Madison, and Oneida.

It grows as a tree or shrub and can attain a height of 35 feet. It is sold for horticultural purposes and the ones Pete found may be escapes.

Now that I have seen this plant I will be more alert for it in the future.

The flower display can be very impressive, as per a photo in Leopold’s book. It blooms in August, so I look forward to seeing it then.

Petrides lists (page 197) a close relative called “Devil’s Club” but in a separate genus and species, Oplopanax horridus, a northwestern plant with simple leaves and slender thorns. The leaf that Pete is holdinging the above photo has doubly compound leaves.

References consulted:

Leopold, Donald J. Aralia spinosa. In: Native Plants of the Northeast. Portland, OR: Timber Press. 2005. Pages 216-217.

New York Flora Association (NYFA) www.nyflora.org

Petrides, George A. Aralia spinosa Hercules-Club. In: A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs. 2^nd Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. 1972. Pages 128, 152-153.

Symonds, George W.D. ; Merwin, A.W. Hercules’ Club. In: The Shrub Identification Book. New York, NY: William Morrow & Co. 1963. Main Plates 92-94, Pages 258-260.

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