Angel Oak Tree Splendor

by Dale Powell

Title

Angel Oak Tree Splendor

Artist

Dale Powell

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Photograph

Description

Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island is estimated to be 400+ Years Old

Angel Oak is a Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina. Angel Oak is estimated to be 500 years old. 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 (1,600 m2). Its longest branch distance is 187 ft. in length. Angel Oak was the 210th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society.


Angel Oak is a tourist attraction for those visiting the Charleston, South Carolina area. The tree stands on land that was part of Abraham Waight's 1717 land grant.

The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel (an African American slave owner) and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel. Local folklore tells stories of ghosts of former slaves appearing as angels around the tree.

Despite the popular belief that Angel Oak is the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River, many bald cypress trees are found throughout the South which are many hundreds of years older.

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, another South Carolina nonprofit celebrated "the preservation of 17 acres adjacent to the majestic tree."

Uploaded

June 28th, 2016

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