Angel Oak Explained

Angel Oak
Species:Southern live oak
Binomial:Quercus virginiana
Location:Johns Island, South Carolina, US
Coordinates:32.7171°N -80.0804°W

Angel Oak is an enormous Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina. The tree is estimated to be 400–500 years old.[1] It stands 66.5 ft (20 m) tall, measures 28 ft (8.5 m) in circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet (1600 m2). Its longest branch distance is 187 ft (57 m) in length.[2] Angel Oak was the 210th tree registered with the Live Oak Society.[3] [4] [5]

Background

The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel.[6] Local folklore tells stories of ghosts of formerly enslaved people appearing as angels around the tree.[7] [8]

Despite the claims that the Angel Oak is the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River, bald cypress trees throughout North and South Carolina are significantly older. One example in North Carolina is over 1,600 years old.[9]

History

Angel Oak was damaged severely during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 but has since recovered.[10] The City of Charleston has owned the tree and surrounding park since 1991.[11]

Development is beginning to encroach on the site of Angel Oak. In 2012, plans to build a 500-unit apartment complex that would be from Angel Oak were challenged in court by a group called Save the Angel Oak and the Coastal Conservation League; their concerns included the construction's effect on available groundwater and nutrients.[12] By December 2013, the Lowcountry Land Trust, celebrated [13] "the preservation of 17 acres adjacent to the majestic tree." The 17 acres adjacent to the Angel Oak were purchased by Lowcountry Land Trust, protecting the area from development.

The Angel Oak tree is featured prominently in the romance novel Where the Fireflies Dream by Emily Nelson.[14]

Angel Oak was the focal point of an Allstate television ad in September 2018 saluting the strength of the Carolinas following the devastation of Hurricane Florence.[15]

See also

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Angel Oak Facts . 2015-03-29 . 2015-05-20 . David Elliott . www.angeloaktree.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20160325034935/http://www.angeloaktree.com/angel-oak-facts/ . 2016-03-25 . dead .
  2. Web site: History of the Angel Oak.
  3. http://www.lgcfinc.org/uploads/1/5/1/2/15124054/001-500.pdf Live Oak Society listing of oaks 1-500
  4. http://www.lgcfinc.org/live-oak-society.html Live Oak Society
  5. Web site: Bertauski. Tony. Taking care of the Angel Oak, a grand old lady Johns Island tree estimated to be 400-500 years old. Post and Courier. en.
  6. Web site: African American slave owners . americancivilwar.com . August 30, 2015.
  7. Pakenham, pp. 142–43
  8. Dent, p. 148
  9. Web site: Pederson. Neil. Eastern OLDLIST: A database of maximum tree ages for Eastern North America . www.ldeo.columbia.edu.
  10. Web site: Arboresque: Angel Oak . 2012-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160422223216/http://arboresque.com/vmchk/Out-of-Print/Angel-Oak.html . 2016-04-22 . dead .
  11. Web site: Angel Oak Website . 2008-03-21 . http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101202140055/http://www.angeloaktree.org/ . 2010-12-02 . dead .
  12. http://www.thestate.com/latest-news/article14401847.html Angel Oak case ends
  13. http://www.lowcountrylandtrust.org/news-and-events/angel-oak-preserve-celebration-a-success/ Angel Oak Preserve Celebration A Success
  14. Book: Nelson, Emily . 2011 . Where the Fireflies Dream. Evermore Publishing (Kindle edition) . 213 .
  15. Web site: Allstate TV Commercial, 'Still Standing'. iSpot.tv. en. 2018-09-24.

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