A Brief History of the Angel Oak

It wasn’t until the late 1600s that English settlers, most that had migrated from the Barbados area, came to what would become the Charles Towne colony. In the grand scheme of things, this seems quaint in comparison to the historical natural sites modern Charleston is known for today.

The Angel Oak is one of those natural phenomena.

Standing at a height of 65+ feet with a spread of 160 feet, some estimate the Angel Oak to be between 400 and 500 years old, while others estimate the age to be around the Biblical age of almost 1500 years! This means that the Angel Oak is the oldest tree in the South – or at least, the Southeast – Right?

Well… Don’t let the gray hair fool ya!

There are other such photogenic photosynthetic flora in the Southeast that are rumored to be as old if not older than the Angel Oak. Several bald cypress trees scattered throughout North and South Carolina have been discussed to be older by several hundred years. None with the personality of the Angel Oak.

Yet, what’s in a name?

Southern Live Oaks, or as they are known in some circles, Quercus virginiana, are prevalent throughout the lowlands of the Coastal Carolinas.  But why is the Angel Oak called the “Angel Oak?” The answers may surprise you.

A total of ninety-six acres on modern-day Wadmalaw Island, the original land on which the Angel Oak grows was granted to Abraham Waight on July 25, 1717. Passed on to one of his ancestors Justus Angel and his wife Martha Waight Tucker Angel, the land was then known as Angel Plantation. The Angel Oak then adopted the same name.

The second namesake of the Angel Oak is much more spectral. Ghosts of the slaves who died in and around the area might be seen as the sun sets behind the horizon… floating, never to find peace...

There are times, however, the Angel Oak is simply known as “The Tree.”

Like so many things in Charleston and the outlying areas, the Tree took a beating during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and was severely damaged. Prosper and recover and then continue to grow the Tree did, even being purchased as part of a deal with the City of Charleston in order to preserve the oak and the outlying areas creating Angel Oak Park.

But progress will not and cannot be stopped. As recent as 2012, land close to the Angel Oak was proposed to be developed as an apartment complex less than 160 yards from the miraculous natural superstructure. Thanks to the dual efforts of Save the Angel Oak and the Coastal Conservation League, they were successful in the courts to thwart this invasion to the oak’s habitat. Hopefully, this will continue in perpetuity.

Its branches, reaching from the past into the future, the Angel Oak is a deep-rooted reminder of the grace and beauty that nature has to offer when allowed to thrive and prosper.

~ Brandon L. Joyner