The tree shown below – Charleston’s Angel Oak Tree on John’s Island. If you get a chance, it’s definitely worth the effort. On my bucket list, which my son fulfilled for me this past March (2019)– it’s an amazing, beautiful gift from God.
There are some sites that estimate the tree to be between 500 and 1500 years old. The magnificent tree produces shade that covers over 17,000 square feet. Thought to be one of the oldest living organisms east of the Mississippi River, the largest branch reaches 187 feet.
While the name seems certainly appropriate when you see it, it was actually named from the couple who owned the estate it grows on, Justus and Martha Angel. Local legends say the ghosts of former slaves appear as angels around the tree, as the tree was rumored to be a meeting place for the underground railroad. However, there are also assumptions that a number of slaves were lynched on the tree, supported by the fact that the tree was on a plantation in the 1800s.
There is no doubt that this tree has ‘seen’ hundreds of years of history pass beneath its branches. Surviving multiple hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and human presence – this Angel Oak could tell many stories, good and evil, about our country’s history. If trees could talk – they could also cry and laugh. Imagining the tears that fell over lives suffering, and laughter from children playing. Lovers meeting beneath the branches. Hundreds of years of trials, triumphs, and quiet, majestic dignity. If trees could talk…
