Chainsaw carving draws attention from passersby

A unique carving in South Blue Hill honors a husband’s memory

Sept. 1, 2026

Josh Landry’s wooden carving in South Blue Hill features two eagles and other wildlife. Photo by Steele Hays.

By Steele Hays

BLUE HILL— A new chainsaw-sculpted, 15-foot-high tree carving featuring two eagles and other wildlife, has been completed along Falls Bridge Road in South Blue Hill, sparking questions from onlookers and slowing traffic. 

The statue is the work of Josh Landry of North Anson who has created scores of similar carvings across the state for the last 15 years. One of his most famous and photographed creations is a carving in front of Stephen King’s Bangor mansion featuring various animals, including a dragon, owls, and ravens.

Judy Rountree commissioned Landry to make this carving in South Blue Hill as a memorial tribute to her husband, Neal Rountree, who died in 2002. 

“I was aware of Stephen King’s tree, and I knew who Josh was,” Rountree said in an interview with The Rising Tide. “I had long discussions with Josh about the project. I knew I wanted eagles. I am absolutely thrilled with it. I can’t even get through the grocery store without people stopping me and talking about it.”

The eagles reflect Neal’s passion for flying. An Air Force Academy graduate, Neal wanted to be a military pilot, Rountree said. But at six feet, four inches tall and 280 pounds, he was too large to fit into the cockpit of the 1960s era jets flown by the Air Force. So upon graduation, he instead joined the Marines and served two tours in Vietnam. 

The new sculpture is in Rountree’s front yard, just south of the South Blue Hill Cemetery. Formerly a large locust tree, it had become diseased in recent years and was cut down. This left the tall base for Landry’s chainsaw work. The tree was more than 100 years old, she said, after counting the annual growth rings in a section of the tree Landry cut for her. 

In addition to the two eagles — one perched, one flying – the sculpture features two owls, a bear, a raccoon and a woodpecker.