Bruce Rich - Web/Graphic Designer, Music Producer, VJ
The Angel Oak
(Photo found on subreddit ITAP - not sure of photographer)
It's the "Angel Oak," found in John’s Island, South Carolina, and it's estimated to be over 1400 years old.
I visited the sad tree with my family in the mid-80s, having the good fortune of residing in Ladson, SC at the time (close to the home of my Cherokee ancestors in NC). I recall the park surrounding the tree sporting rusty playground equipment, and the tree branches were supported by struts rather than be allowed to break or touch the ground and rot.
The land owners charged $5 to see it (the new owners apparently do not charge), and I must say the experience left a sort of breathless/pathetic impression upon me, as if the tree were begging to be allowed to die, in a sense, but man was fighting to preseve it. Hurricane Hugo took care of some of that in 1989, but it is reported that the tree has recovered from the damage.
The Angel Oak made it into a poem I wrote as well. I should post it when I find it. Meanwhile, here’s the link to the official web site: http://www.angeloaktree.org/
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