{"id":246,"date":"2013-07-29T12:52:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-29T12:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/growpurpose.com\/charlestongood\/?p=246"},"modified":"2013-07-29T12:52:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-29T12:52:00","slug":"good-place-angel-oak-honoring-ancient-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growpurpose.com\/charlestongood\/good-place-angel-oak-honoring-ancient-life\/","title":{"rendered":"GOOD Place – Angel Oak: Honoring Ancient Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Imagine driving down a narrow dirt road on a little known sea island near Charleston, South Carolina\u2019s coast.    Windows are rolled down and a warm March breeze caresses your out-hanging arm.  A woody cologne of live oak hits your senses as you near your destination.  Pulling into a sandy parking lot, you hear the sing-song of children and see the source of the audible merriment.   As you approach the eastern seaboards oldest living thing, you see a daisy chain of children, hand in hand, encircling a tree trunk so gigantic, your jaw drops open at its girth.<\/span><\/div>\n
Locals know this beloved arbor as Angel Oak.  She is purported to be anywhere from 400 to 1400 years old.  Scientists are unable to date her accurately due to heart rot, a phenomenon found in this species of live oak, especially one this old.  The rings are decimated within her core, rendering it nearly impossible to age her.   But no matter, walking the perimeter of Angel Oak\u2019s elephantine stalk and drinking in her lengthy extensions bring historical possibilities to mind.<\/span><\/div>\n
If Angel Oak is on the more recent age scale, tipping her near 400 years old, her birthdate might be around 1613.  The Stono Indians, the indigenous Native Americans of that era who are now extinct, would have been present at her young life.  Her sapling status wouldn\u2019t have made much of an impression on the Stono and they could have likely tread right over her without notice.  Anymore aged than that, say 1000 or so years, the native locals may have enjoyed her shade, her majestic height, length and width.<\/span><\/div>\n
Being in Angel Oak\u2019s presence is enough to take your mind off its age and size.  With a 65 foot height and an area of shade extending out to 17,000 square feet, timbered arms up to 89 feet at its longest and 11.25 feet at its thickest, this old oak tree is striking to perceive.  Several of these elongated boughs dip into the earth, come out again and stretch horizontally.  For others, there is a serpent quality to their undulating in and out of the ground multiple times before extending to a leafy end.<\/span><\/div>\n
The heart-felt connection many people feel toward Angel Oak has prompted ongoing preservation efforts.  Her immediate fenced grounds are in no danger of development, but the surrounding woods are.  Development of this environs would potentially harm her massive root system.  Angel\u2019s neighboring trees also protect her from storms and keep pollutants from reaching her roots.<\/span><\/div>\n
If visiting Charleston, SC, take a short jaunt from the antebellum downtown area to John\u2019s Island and come say hi to Angel Oak.  There is no charge for admission, but why not drop a few bucks into the metal donation box in the gift shop to help keep her preserved and free.<\/span><\/div>\n

By Regina Cannella<\/a>, Guest Writer<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine driving down a narrow dirt road on a little known sea island near Charleston, South Carolina\u2019s coast.    Windows are rolled down<\/p>\n

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