Hidden away off Salem Road is a unique tree stump.
A once-thriving 100-year-old oak tree, which was cherished by generations of the Watson family in Stephens, was full of wildlife and a favorite place to park in the shade until it was taken down in February 2025.
“I’d love to watch the squirrels go up and down the tree and the majesty of the tree,” said Ken Watson, a banker and farmer. “It was just very majestic, so I enjoyed the appearance of it.”
After the remnants of a hurricane knocked over another tree on their property, Watson said he worried other hollow trees might damage the cottage, a home he renovated and named after his daughter, Mary Grace Watson.
So, he hired Winterville’s Tiller Services to cut it down.
Now, the tree has been replaced with a carved UGA power “G” logo.
“I’ve been a Bulldog for a long time, well before I ever started school there as a freshman,” said Watson, a UGA alum. “How can I ask somebody to commit to the ‘G’ if I won’t commit myself to the ‘‘G’?”
He used a chainsaw to carve the “G”, used his router to define it and a hand belt sander to make it smooth. Watson said has experience using chainsaws and cutting firewood.
“It reinforced to me that if you have a will, there’s a way, and so I had a will and it turned into that,” he said. “I’m happy that I had the opportunity to do a little art even though I’m not an artist.”
He said part of the project was about honoring the land built by his grandparents — Grady Compton and Nellie Compton — and showing his love for his family made every hour worth it.
His daughter, Mary Grace, a first-year UGA student, holds fond memories of the oak tree before its removal. It often served as the site for Easter egg hunts with her cousins.
“When I was younger there was a huge cactus growing all around the oak tree,” she said. “Every once in a while it would bloom a little bit, which was really nice and interesting to see.”
Now that she’s on campus, seeing the UGA “G” logo reminds her of home.
“It’s been passed down so many generations and we’ve all added our own little piece to it,” Mary Grace said. “Knowing that it will be mine one day definitely means so much to me.”
The stump carries deep meaning for Ken and his family’s connection to UGA. He said he hopes people realize it represents his family’s history just as much as the university’s.
“I want people to think about the University of Georgia but when I look at this house and this land, I think about my grandmother and grandfather,” Watson said. “It’s got a lot of meaning to me outside of being a logo. There’s a lot of meaning to it, a lot of emotion.”