(Johns Island, SC-Mellow Wanderer) As tourist attractions go, Angel Oak Park is so unpretentious, so understated, so out-of-the way, only well placed critter road kill would stop you from driving right by the entrance.
Well beyond Charleston’s Rainbow Row of southern mansions, horse drawn carriages, and kitschy outdoor market is believed to be the oldest living thing this side of the Mississippi. Off of skinny Bohicket Road on Johns Island, a somewhat rural bedroom community of Charleston, is an isolated long winding dirt road leading to a large live oak tree surrounded by a chain link fence.
You’ve arrived at Angel Oak Park, where you’re free — yes, it’s free entry–to roam under the huge sprawling branches and right up to the trunk. Angel Oak began sprouting years before Columbus came to America and has thrived and survived hurricanes and community development, although the latter has preservationists’ knees wobbling like an old bar stool.
The tree’s height is 65 feet with massive branches as thick as trunks, extending out and down to the ground. Metal rods help support the weight of some of the branches.
Local historians trace the tree’s ownership and its surrounding property to the early 1700’s. Abraham Waight was the original owner, who then passed it on to Justus Angel and Martha Waight Tucker. Angel Oak stayed in the family for four generations.
Today, the City of Charleston owns and maintains the park and a small gift shop. This natural wonder is a centerpiece of community pride and Lowcountry heritage. Couples recite their marriage vows beside the massive trunk. Families seek refuge from a busy world and have picnics under the large canopy of shade.
