Trees SC presented the 2021 Heritage Tree Award to the Swan Lake Chinese Fir in Sumter, SC.

Trees SC presented the 2019 Heritage Tree Award to the City of Bennettsville’s Bicentennial live oak during an on-site presentation on December 4th. This magnificent tree, estimated to be over 200 years old, holds great historical significance to the local community and joins a long list of majestic trees across the state.

The Southern Magnolias are a grove of majestic trees not only to the local community but to the entire state of South Carolina.  The magnolia trees, a living link to the 1800s plantation when they were planted, provide a breathtaking view as people approach the mansion.  Over the past 7 years, more than 35,000 visitors have visited Rose Hill Plantation, all taking in the grandeur of these trees that create the perfect frame for the mansion that was once home to Governor William Gist.

Nestled within a forest of champions, the General Greene Tree has the largest circumference of any bald cypress in Congaree National Park, measuring over 30 feet around.  Needless to say, its size makes it one of the grandest bald cypresses in the state. The tree dates back several hundred years and with its position near the Bates Old River and Historic McCords Ferry Road, the tree would have been witness to historic events including the movements of American and British forces during the battle of Fort Motte, and land and water trade between the lowcountry and the midlands.

Anyone affiliated with Daniel Island and the Ittiwan Oak can understand why this tree was added to the prestigious list of previous winners. The Ittiwan Oak, with its 15-foot circumference and 114-foot canopy, is a majestic tree not only to the local community but to the entire state of South Carolina. Its value to the community dates back hundreds of years and to the Native Americans who once lived near the site of the tree. The Ittiwan Oak is named in honor of the Ittiwan Tribe that once called Daniel Island Home.

Today, the tree has been “adopted” by the Daniel Island Historical Society, who in 2015 launched a campaign to showcase the island’s live oak trees. At the center of the celebration, of course, was the Ittiwan Oak.

Photo Credit: Daniel Island Historical Society

Anyone affiliated with the Augusta Circle Elementary American Elm can understand why this tree was added to the prestigious list of previous winners.  Nearly 75 years ago, the tree was planted in honor of Mr. B.T. Gault, the then principal of the school, who resigned his position to join the armed forces in WWII.  The PTA purchased the tree and invited 5th graders to plant the tree on Arbor Day.  Since its planting, the tree has been nurtured and cared for by the school’s PTA and staff; Clemson Extension Service; Crane’s Tree Service; and Schneider Tree Care.  It has survived Dutch Elm disease, the construction of two additions to the school, and the enlargement of the street in front of the school.

One of the few places one can find the Bald Cypress in South Carolina is the Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg. This unique garden is home to a large stand of century-old bald cypress trees, which borders the North Fork and Edisto River. The grove of trees range in size from 80-100 feet in height and several exceed 5 feet in caliper. This area has over 100 large specimen bald cypress trees, which are owned by the City of Orangeburg and cared for by the Parks and Recreation Department.

These trees have become a symbol of the foresight of city and community leaders who saw the intrinsic value they offered the community, and form the backbone of the Edisto Memorial Gardens.

Photo Credit: The Times and Democrat

On a bluff overlooking the shores of the Western bank of Battery Creek are 255 acres where the former Cherry Hill Plantation, established in the early 1850s, once stood.  The property has remained, for the most part, undeveloped and is the site of the Cherry Hill live oak, Beaufort’s largest and oldest documented tree.

Photo Credit: Michael Murphy

Redcliffe Plantation was Governor Hammond’s estate, and the Magnolia Lane, planted as seedlings, is now in its prime. Trees span an elegant dirt lane with the unexpected focal point of a staircase; the house obscured by the trees. The view is just over a quarter of a mile, with the trees covering 160 feet wide. From afar, the trees create a tremendous emerald hedge, studded with iconic flowers.

Today, the Magnolia Lane is a local icon and if better known, would be a treasure of the state. From spring through fall, locals come from nearby towns to have photographs taken under the dramatic trees.

Photo credit: Larry Gleason

Complementing one of Columbia’s most treasured historic landmarks, Trinity Episcopal Church, are three magnificent Live oaks. The vulnerable old trees, with their spreading branches and luxuriant evergreen leafage, soften the cathedral’s beautiful Neo-Gothic facade and create a shady haven in the churchyard. The oldest tree, known as the “Sire Oak,” came from a grove at the Hampton estate and was planted in 1814. Beneath its shelter are buried some of South Carolina’s most prominent citizens-the three Wade Hamptons, poet Henry Timrod, educator Thomas Cooper, US Senator W.C. Preston, several SC governors, soldiers of the Revolution and later American wars, and many other eminent South Carolinians. The second tree is believed to have been planted in 1894, and the third oak was planted in 1925 when the Parish House was finished. Over the years, there has been some damage to the trees but church staff and parishioners are dedicated to preserving the trees for generations to come.

Estimated to be nearly 100 years old, this magnolia represents the history of the Winthrop campus and the vigor that runs through the entire university. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo tore through Rock Hill and in its course of destruction were over 130 trees within the Winthrop community. While a significant portion of this magnolia was sheared off during the storm, it was deemed healthy enough to survive and continues to flourish today.

The White Oak stretches more than seventy feet into the air, with a canopy equally as wide. An ancient tree, it has become the focal point of the town’s central park that was transformed in recent years from three acres of weeds and briar-choked trees.

The mighty oak tree brings a legacy of permanence and grace to the newly created park. Park planners have protected its health by keeping as much foot traffic as possible off the tree’s roots through the design and construction of a tiered deck that provides multiple levels of seating under her branches

Photo credit:  South Carolina Forestry Commission

The Deerhead Oak in McClellanville has been a community treasure for many generations. The tree, a Live Oak, has been the subject of poems and paintings, and a line drawing of the tree serves as the logo for the village museum. Under closer examination, one can see that the tree is aptly named as one of the main branches looks like a deer head.

When the University was established in December 1801, it was simply a few buildings in a mud field that was once used to raise chickens and pigs for early faculty members.  It was not until 1840 when a plan titled “Plan of College-Campus and Buildings” was put into action and the Horseshoe Quadrangle was fully developed. This plan not only included the basis for the structure of the Horseshoe, but it also placed emphasis on the placement of parallel rows of trees through the center of the Horseshoe. Thus began the practice of preserving the value and significance of trees on the campus. Today, almost one hundred majestic trees grace the inner lawn of the Horseshoe, surrounded by the oldest buildings of the campus.

The Horseshoe was designed to be and has remained a focal point for student activity on the campus. Once a makeshift hospital during the Civil War, many 100 foot oaks tower over the lush lawn of the Horseshoe below and provide a cool, peaceful retreat to staff and students alike. Many graduation ceremonies, concerts, and sporting events have taken place on the Horseshoe’s expanse of lawn.

Mostly comprised of elms during the late 1800s and early 1900s, today’s Horseshoe trees have evolved into a healthy, well-maintained collection of American Elm, White Oak, Red Oak, and Live Oak. Many of the original elms were lost between 1930 and 1950 when Dutch Elm Disease rapidly spread through the state. Only the oldest and most healthy trees survived, some of which are still present on the Horseshoe today. In the 1950s, new trees were planted in response to the mortality brought on by Dutch Elm Disease.

After being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, the U.S.C. Horseshoe has been considered one of the most beautiful quadrangles in the country and is compared to the likes of Harvard Yard and the Great Lawn at the University of Virginia. Our largest tree on the Horseshoe is a 55” diameter Willow Oak that is approximately 125 years old; the smallest is a 3” diameter Overcup Oak, a recent planting.

Photo credit: University of South Carolina

Long before the construction of the brick building on the corner, originally a post office, the oak was part of a grove that shaded the expansive front lawn of Thomas Beaty and his wife Mary. It was in the grove of oaks that former General Wade Hampton, in his campaign for governor, delivered a speech to a crowd estimated at 2,000 in 1876.

Photo credit: SC Forestry Commission

Between 1877 and 1900, the Aiken Town Council authorized the planting of about 500 hardwood trees along the streets and avenues of South Boundary. Three Aiken mayors have been linked to the planting of the “Avenue of Oaks”—Herman Warneke, Julian Salley, Sr. and Herbert Gyles. One can assume that the combined efforts of all these men resulted in the breath-taking aisle of live oaks that South Boundary travelers experience today.

Photo credit:  Larry Gleason

Local mythology claims the tree to be over 1400 years old and the “oldest living thing, east of the Rocky Mountains.” A more reasonable guess of the magnificent tree’s age would be between 300 and 500 years old. Regardless of its age, the Angel Oak is one of the most beautiful, inspiring, and often-visited trees in the southeastern United States. The tree is 65 feet tall with a diameter of 8.5 feet and has a shaded area of approximately17, 000 square feet. The longest limb is 89 feet long and it has a circumference of 11.5 feet. The property on which the Angel Oak stands was originally part of a land grant to Abraham Waight in 1717. Waight became a prosperous planter owning several plantations including The Point where the Angel Oak stood. The property passed from generation to generation, acquiring the Angel name when Martha Waight married Justis Angel in 1810. The City of Charleston acquired the Angel Oak and surrounding property in 1991 and the Angel Oak Park was opened to the public on September 23 of the same year.