The Four Hundred Year Old Tree

Once you get over 50, your observations about the world around you changes.

The Angel Oak located on Charleston’s Johns Island, South Carolina is thought to be one of the oldest living things in the country and is one of the oldest trees east of the Mississippi. The land where this tree stands was part of Abraham Waight’s 1717 land grant.

In the year 1663, Charles II was restored to the British throne. To reward eight of his loyal supporters, the king granted them a large tract of land in the New World. The northern boundary was Virginia, the southern boundary was present-day St. Augustine, Florida, and the western boundary the Pacific Ocean.

They called it the colony of Carolina.

The land was theirs to colonize, to govern and to profit from. The settlement of Carolina was to be a business operation, and the corporation owners’ chief aim was to make money. They attracted entrepreneurs to the area, Abraham Waight was among them.

The specific property on which Angel Oak stands was part of a small grant to Abraham Waight dated July 25, 1717, for ninety-six acres at the head(source of the stream, its “head waters.”) of Wadmalaw, the marsh at the source of Church Creek.

Martha Waight, a distant descendant of Abraham Waight, married Justus Angel 1810 and they named the tree Angel.

The City of Charleston now owns the property.

The Angel Oak is a Live Oak, Scientific Name, Quercus virginiana. Live Oaks only grow along the eastern coast of the United States and are often seen with Spanish moss hanging from them. They can be found the coastal plains of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and southward along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The Angel Oak Tree is estimated to be in excess of 400-500 years old, stands 65 feet ft tall, measures 31.5 feet circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,000 square feet. From tip to tip Its longest branch distance is 89 feet. The life expectancy is 700-1000 years.

There is considerable debate about the age of this spectacular tree.  Some contend that it is 1,500 years old.  Most believe that the more conservative estimates are more accurate. Most agree that the tree is probably between 400-500 years old.

When we went to the visitor center on the grounds of Angel Oak, there were several Gullah ladies selling their baskets.

I bought a small basket to keep the kitty collars in one place.

THE GULLAH GEECHEE PEOPLE

The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the rice, indigo and Sea Island cotton plantations of the lower Atlantic coast.  Many came from the rice-growing region of West Africa.  The nature of their enslavement on isolated island and coastal plantations created a unique culture with deep African retentions that are clearly visible in the Gullah Geechee people’s distinctive arts, crafts, foodways,  music, and  language.

Gullah Geechee is a unique, creole language spoken in the coastal areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.   The Gullah Geechee language began as a simplified form of communication among people who spoke many different languages including European slave traders, slave owners and diverse, African ethnic groups. The vocabulary and grammatical roots come from African and European languages.  It is the only distinctly, African creole language in the United States and it has influenced traditional Southern vocabulary and speech patterns.

This South Carolina Sweetgrass Basket Maker Is Sharing The Art With Future Generations

“The right way” is a very involved and time-consuming process—one that begins with harvesting grasses from along the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which reaches from Florida through coastal Georgia and into the Carolinas. The materials are then dried in the sun (which can take up to two weeks, depending on the plant and the weather) before they’re stored in a climate-controlled shed until Cayetano-Jefferson is ready to sew. “Everything’s done with love,” she says.

Left Louisiana. Right South Carolina.

We also visit old cemeteries when we travel.

Once you get over 50, your observations about the world around you changes.

In your younger years, one can’t imagine spending vacation time in a cemetery, but I go now and imagine lives well lived.

Sometimes you’ll see a baby or child and that is sad, but mostly it’s a quiet and usually beautiful place to reflect on life lived.

New thing learned: coins on the graves.

Many of the cemeteries in the South we visit have coins on the headstones.

Leaving mementos and other signs of remembrance on graves is a long-held human tradition. Mostly you will see flowers on graves, in the Jewish faith people leave stones and in Latin America it’s common to leave candles.

In ancient times, coins were a way to prepare loved ones for their afterlife. They were a bribe to ensure safe passage to the world of the dead. Known as “Charon’s obol”, dating back to Greek mythology. As soon as Greece created its own monetary system, this became a common practice. 

In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman who brings souls across the river from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The term “obol” refers to the payment or bribe intended for Charon. Typically, the family placed the coin in the mouth of the deceased. Later, they were also placed over the eyes. Charon’s obol began in Greece, but it spread throughout the New East, western Europe, and beyond. 

Over the years, the meaning behind this practice shifted.

How did this ancient Greek tradition become the military practice known today?

It gets back to the Vietnam War.

During the Vietnam War, a politically charged time, deaths caused by the war was a cause of many arguments and disagreements. Instead of contacting the soldier’s family directly to offer condolences, servicemen and women started to leave a coin on the grave. 

It was a practical solution to the growing communication gap in those days.

When you see a coin on the grave of a serviceman or woman, this indicates another member of the military paid their respects recently.

According to tradition:

• Penny - A penny at the gravesite means you visited. You have no formal relationship with the deceased, but you honor their service and their family. 

• Nickel - A nickel is left if you and the deceased person trained at boot camp together. 

• Dime - In the case of a dime, you served with the deceased person in some capacity. 

• Quarter - Finally, a quarter indicates you were with the deceased when he or she died. 

  

  National cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina.

In addition, some Vietnam veterans left these coins as a “down payment” to buy their fallen friend a beer or play cards when they’re reunited in the afterlife. 

It’s not uncommon for these coins to be what’s known as “challenge coins.” A challenge coin is a coin with the emblem of the deceased’s military company or unit and are left on the grave as a symbol of respect and camaraderie.

I don’t think the coins mean the same thing in civilian cemeteries because in one of those I saw a quarter on the head stone of a civil war confederate soldier.

Thanks for reading!

Cool Kid on the Road.

My next “Grey Nomad” story will involve rice fields, crawfish and Tabasco!