Paul Bunyan Statue Iconic in Bellingham

By David Dunbar

Can you imagine how Paul Bunyan might look on the 4th of July?

What? Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack, mythical hero of lumber camps across the U.S., a symbol of vitality, strength, and bigness. And there is a 16-foot tall, 10,000-pound version of the legend standing in front of Charron Tree Service and The Firewood Shop at 1060 Pulaski Boulevard in Bellingham. 

He has been there awhile. 

“Almost two decades,” according to Deb Decelles who, along with her husband Kenneth, purchased the property in 1994 from Leo Dalpe and Burton Rhodes. 

In fact, the present Paul Bunyan is the second one. In 2011, Jesse Green from Medway created a new one that was carved from head to toe out of a single a hickory tree. And now, in 2024, “we’re considering sprucing him up,” says Decelles.

And then, along comes four-year-old Aviana Charron (no relation) from Blackstone who wrote a charming letter that said she noticed Paul Bunyan was dressed up for last Halloween. “I would love it,” she wrote, “if he could be dressed up for Christmas and Easter (and he was).  You should dress him up for spring, too… maybe as a sunflower.”

She called him Larry the Tree Cutting Man and saw him every day on her way to school. “I love Larry and hope to hear back from you soon.”

Office Manager Jillian Allsop responded. She gave Aviana some Charron Tree Service sweatshirts, a Paul Bunyon story book, and a stuffed sunflower.

Now, can you imagine how Paul Bunyan might look on the 4th of July?

Aside from folks in thousands of cars that drive by Charron Tree Service, others have taken notice. The giant carving has been reported on by National Geographic Magazine and several television shows. It is listed on the 1,000 Great Places to Visit in Massachusetts.

If you want one of these things in your front yard, plan on paying $8,000 to $10,000 for it and waiting a few weeks for it to be created.

“People stop by and take pictures of him,” says Decelles.  “He has become a landmark. People love him!”