Friendship Oak facts for kids
The Friendship Oak is a truly ancient and special tree. It is a southern live oak, which is a type of strong, long-living tree. This amazing tree is about 500 years old! You can find it on the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, Mississippi. For many years, from 1921 to 1971, this campus was known as Gulf Park College for Women.
Contents
A Tree Through Time: History and Legends
How Old is Friendship Oak?
The Friendship Oak started growing around the year 1487. This means it was just a young sapling when Christopher Columbus first explored the New World! Imagine all the history this tree has seen.
The Legend of Friendship
There's a wonderful legend about the Friendship Oak. It says that anyone who stands under its shady branches will stay friends forever. What a cool way to make a friendship last!
Famous Visitors and Features
In the 1920s, a poet named Vachel Lindsay taught at Gulf Park College for Women. He would often read his poems to students right under the big branches of the Friendship Oak.
The Friendship Oak is so special that it was the 110th tree to be added to the Live Oak Society. This happened around 1940. Back then, the tree's trunk was about 14 feet (4.3 meters) around.
In 1950, the tree and Gulf Park College were even featured in a famous magazine called Life. Students sometimes had classes right under the tree!
New Paths for Visitors
Recently, in 2024, the campus received a special grant. This money helped create a dedicated parking spot and a new sidewalk leading right to the Friendship Oak. They also added natural areas to help attract helpful insects like pollinators.
Amazing Size and Strength
Measuring a Giant Tree
On August 22, 2011, experts from the Mississippi Forestry Commission carefully measured the Friendship Oak. They found some incredible numbers:
- The tree stood 59 feet (18 meters) tall.
- Its trunk was about 5.75 feet (1.75 meters) wide.
- The trunk's circumference (the distance around it) was 19.8 feet (6.0 meters).
- Its crown, which is the leafy top part, spread out 155 feet (47 meters) wide.
- The main side branches stretched out about 60 feet (18 meters) from the trunk. These branches were about 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) around where they met the trunk.
- The tree's crown covered a huge area, about 16,000 square feet (1486 square meters).
- Its roots spread out even further, reaching 150 feet (45.7 meters) away!
Keeping the Tree Healthy
In August 2017, one of the large branches of the Friendship Oak broke. This happened because of a lot of new growth and heavy rain. Tree doctors, called arborists, checked the tree's health. They carefully removed the broken branch in October 2017. They also trimmed other parts of the tree and added braces to support some of the remaining big branches. This helps keep the old tree strong and healthy.
A Symbol of Hope and New Life
Special Events Under the Oak
Many people have chosen the beautiful Friendship Oak as the spot for their weddings. Most of these special ceremonies have been for former students of Gulf Park College or the University of Southern Mississippi.
Surviving Storms
Over hundreds of years, the Friendship Oak has faced many powerful hurricane winds. These storms have sometimes stripped its leaves and pushed seawater inland, soaking its roots. But the tree has always stood strong.
At least twice since the 1950s, people have collected acorns from the Friendship Oak. These acorns were used to grow new trees. These new live oaks were then planted along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They helped replace other live oaks that were destroyed by huge hurricanes like Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Friendship Oak truly helps new life grow!
See also
- List of individual trees
