PADDOCK LAKE — The mighty oak that stood in front of Central High School for decades and was turned into a piece of living art to preserve a promise made in the early 1950s, is cracking.

“It is splitting,” Superintendent Scott Pierce said of the 15-foot-tall trunk with the school’s falcon mascot carved into it. “It is the tree we made a commitment to keep. We are going to try everything we can to salvage it.”

Pierce said the district is exploring whether rods can be driven into the tree to help hold it together. Another idea is bringing the tree carving into the school for preservation there.

The boughs of the immense tree shaded the demolition crew in 1952 when the Smith home was razed to make way for the new school. The Smith family attached only one stipulation when they agreed to sell their land for this purpose — the tree could not be cut down.

Even at that time it was estimated the tree was more than 100 years old. It measured a girth of 13 feet, 10 inches at hip height. It predated the home, the walls of which were pasted with copies of the Southport Telegram dating back to 1845 — when Kenosha was Southport and C.L. Sholes, inventor of the typewriter, was editor and publisher of the Southport Telegram.

The tree first showed signs of distress in the spring of 1998. Some believe the roots were damaged during road construction. It was significantly trimmed to sustain its life. Then, in September 2004, after further decline, woodcarver Ron Tepley spent a week carving a falcon into its trunk.

The effort to preserve the tree comes at a time when the school is again expanding. Other trees on the property are being felled to make way for a new entrance and tennis courts off of Highway 83.

While the oak tree in front of the school is the only one officially protected by the previous property owner, a required percentage of other large oaks are being spared because they are located in an environmental corridor.