Oaks that Witnessed #AtoZChallenge

 Let's bring it Outside for "O" day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

I've blogged before about trees that are our living memory. Some call them Witness trees.  They are trees that have witnessed our human history.  Here are two of them.

One of them, the Camden Oak, is no longer with us.  Only its stump and a historical marker remains of it.

The Camden Oak, in Camden, South Carolina, was already standing during the American Revolution.  It was there to witness when our first President, George Washington, visited Camden in 1791.  President Washington had been to Camden before, as a general of American troops during the war.

The Camden Oak was there to witness the 1825 visit of the Marquis de Lafayette, so beloved by our nation.

The Camden Oak, March of 2015

I don't know when it fell but only its stump remains today.

I probably didn't realize its story was written on the back of this historical marker, because I only took a picture of the front.

But we know more about the Angel Oak, which I blogged about in 2012.

I blogged about it again in 2013, when it was in danger of being felled by a developer.  The developer wanted to build 600 apartments and retail space on the land it depends on for its nourishment (and destroy the tree in the process).  In 2014 it was saved after a seven year campaign.

The Angel Oak, a live oak, is is located on Johns Island, one of the islands that partially surround Charleston, South Carolina.  It is not in Charleston itself, but is associated with the city and its land is now a City of Charleston park.

The shade it casts measures over 17,000 square feet in area.  Its age is estimated at between 400 and 500 years old and the property is now owned by the City of Charleston.  It has its own website.

Because of its size, it is difficult to photograph and few photos do it justice.  I did give it a try, though, during my two visits to it.

The Angel Oak has survived hurricanes and earthquakes.  Long may it stand!

"O" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme "Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States."

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to South Carolina

I have not felt the greatest the last couple of weeks, but thought it was exhaustion from my job, which is in a busy time of the year.  I needed a vacation - badly.

Monday, at about 5am, in a motel room in Raleigh, North Carolina, I got a familiar feeling- and, later that morning, I was waiting to see someone in an urgent care the desk clerk in my motel had recommended.

I have to say this - they have excellent walk-in urgent care facilities in Raleigh.  But, between my particular infection, and the antibiotic treatment used for it, I can now write a book called "Many of the Restrooms Along Interstates 40 and 77 in the Carolinas, Rated."


(Sorry if this is gross.  Last on that topic.)

So fast forward (yes, PLEASE) to today, where spouse and I were walking down a street in South Carolina.  Normally we would have been walking fast, but today, I just couldn't.

We were admiring a house when a man, perhaps close to my age or a tiny bit older, came over.  He had been doing yard work.  He said "hi", we said "hi" back, and continued our walk.  Then, after a little bit, I was tired enough where I didn't want to walk anymore. So we were heading back to our car, and the man came over again.

This time, we chatted a few minutes, and then the magic happened. The man invited us into his (large!) yard, and then gave us a tour of part of his house, which has a distinguished ownership history.  Part of his land is also located on a Revolutionary War battlefield.  He gave us permission to take pictures of plants, but not his house.

If it wasn't for that infection, perhaps I never would have seen this tree on his property, or known its story.

This is a magnolia tree.  He told us (which I am unable to independently verify) it is the widest magnolia in South Carolina.  At one time, it was a lot taller, too, but Hurricane Hugo (1989) took care of that.

Several years ago I did a blog post on the Angel Oak near Charleston, SC and this tree reminded me so much of the Angel Oak.

I can mourn the loss of part of a battlefield, but the antebellum house this magnolia belongs to shows that battlefields weren't that respected, even more than 150 years ago.

Sometimes things happen for a reason.  I would rather not have that infection. But sometimes, you just never know what is around the corner from where you may, except for the unexpected, never have been.

Why Should We Save a Tree?

The Angel Oak, an old oak tree on an island near Charleston, South Carolina, is in danger from development.  Not direct danger - no one is coming to cut this iconic tree down (yet, anyway),but it is in very real danger.

Part of this post dates from 2012, after we visited the tree.  Even then, the tree was in danger. Now, the danger has a deadline:  November 21, 2013.

By this date,  $3.6 million dollars must be raised in order to purchase part of an adjorning parcel of land, some 17 acres, needed to protect the far reaching root system of the tree.

Without that space around the tree, development of the rest of the nearby parcel could kill it even if a hand is never raised against the tree itself.  The tree also needs protection from wind and, right now, that is provided by nearby trees.  Those neighboring trees also help soak up water. Live Oak root systems are shallow and can be fragile.

But first, why should you care?  It's just a tree - right?

Listen to a 31 year old woman who loves the Angel Tree and has devoted herself to saving the tree.

Then, read portions of my blog post from 2012, below.

And then, decide for yourself.

There is nothing that can make you feel small as much as a huge object of nature.   This is just a small portion of the Angel Tree.  It is located on Johns Island, one of the islands that partially surround Charleston, South Carolina.  We traveled over 800 miles to see Charleston, and this tree.

The shade it casts measures over 17,000. square feet in area.  The green blotches on branches are resurrection ferns

Here is one of its many branches.

And here is another, haunting view. 

The Angel Oak's age is estimated as somewhere between 500 and 1500 years old.  It is not the oldest tree in the United States, but it is said to be the oldest tree east of the Mississippi.

We had never heard of the Angel Oak before our visit to South Carolina in 2012.  We heard about it from a native, who said "you just have to see this; it is so peaceful."  Apparently this is quite the attraction, as there were a number of other people there oohing and ahhing.  On private property, it is free (there is a low key gift shop nearby), and there are even picnic tables nearby.

It was peaceful.  It's hard to describe the feeling we had.  Awe?  Something more?
Yes, we feel this tree is worth saving.  Others do, too.  The donations are coming in - but will they reach the fundraising goal in time?

The tree gets some 36,000.visitors a year from all over the world.

I'd love my grandchildren (when I have any) to see this tree one day.

If you feel the Angel Tree should be protected from development , please consider donating to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust.

Spring Things - Does This Oak Make Me Look Small?

This isn't strictly a "spring thing" except that we visited this in the spring.

There is nothing that can make you feel small as much as a huge object of nature.  Like this live oak tree.  This is just a small portion of the oak, which is called the Angel Tree.  It is located on Johns Island, one of the islands that partially surround Charleston, South Carolina.

The shade it casts measures over 17,000. square feet in area.  The green blotches on branches are resurrection ferns

Here is one of its many branches.

And here is another, haunting view. 

The Angel Oak's age is estimated as somewhere between 500 and 1500 years old.

We had never heard of the Angel Oak.  We heard about it from a native, who said "you just have to see this; it is so peaceful."  Apparently this is quite the attraction, as there were a number of other people there oohing and ahhing.  On private property, it is free (there is a low key gift shop nearby), and there are even picnic tables nearby.

It was peaceful.  It's hard to describe the feeling we had.  Awe?  Something more?

But, there is more to this story.

The Angel Oak is in danger from development. There are some online petitions to convince the City of Charleston not to allow the development, which appears to be for a development called - what else- Angel Oak Village. The Angel Oak may not be directly threatened, but there are other old live oaks in the area, and they will be.

I didn't find anything recent on this development, and hope that future generations will be able to feel the same awe as I did three weeks ago today.

Have you visited a natural place that made you feel especially at peace?  Have you visited the Angel Oak?