Angel Oak
Background
The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel. Local folklore tells stories of ghosts of formerly enslaved people appearing as angels around the tree.
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.
History
Angel Oak was damaged severely during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 but has since recovered. The City of Charleston has owned the tree and surrounding park since 1991.
Development is beginning to encroach on the site of Angel Oak. In 2012, plans to build a 500-unit apartment complex that would be 160 yards (150 m) 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. By December 2013, the Lowcountry Land Trust, celebrated "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.
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.
See also
References
- ^ David Elliott (2015-03-29). "Angel Oak Facts". www.angeloaktree.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ "History of the Angel Oak".
- ^ Live Oak Society listing of oaks 1-500 Retrieved 2013-07-16
- ^ Live Oak Society with images and information
- ^ 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.
- ^ "African American slave owners". americancivilwar.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ Pakenham, pp. 142–43
- ^ Dent, p. 148
- ^ Pederson, Neil. "Eastern OLDLIST: A database of maximum tree ages for Eastern North America". www.ldeo.columbia.edu.
- ^ "Arboresque: Angel Oak". Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- ^ "Angel Oak Website". Archived from the original on 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ Angel Oak case ends, The State, April 6, 2012
- ^ Angel Oak Preserve Celebration A Success, The Lowcountry Land Trust, December 20, 2013
- ^ Nelson, Emily (2011). Where the Fireflies Dream. Evermore Publishing (Kindle edition). p. 213.
- ^ "Allstate TV Commercial, 'Still Standing'". iSpot.tv. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- Sources
- Samuels, Gayle Brandow (1999). Enduring Roots: Encounters with Trees, History and the American Landscape. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-585-31062-9.
- Pakenham, Thomas (2002). Remarkable Trees of the World. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-84300-1.
- Dent, Thomas L. (1997). Southern journey: a return to the civil rights movement. New York: W. Morrow. ISBN 0-688-14099-8.
- Perry, Lee Tom (2007). Insiders' guide to Charleston: including Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, Kiawah, and other islands. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 0-7627-4403-0.
External links
