Located on John’s Island – about 12 miles from downtown Charleston – is The Angel Oak Park, where a stunning Southern Live Oak tree, estimated to be 400 years old, stands beckoning those to reveal its secrets. Here we share some Angel Oak Tree history and background.
About the Angel Oak Tree
The Angel Oak Tree stands in the center of a wooded area of John’s Island – more on that in a moment – in the middle of a park that sees nearly half a million visitors yearly. Standing at a height of 65 feet, it takes up 25.5 feet of space on the ground. Its billowing limbs stretch out in every direction, covering just over 16,500 square feet.
Visiting Angel Oak Tree Park
Visiting the park comes with several rules, which the park staff enforce diligently due to the tree’s age. The park is open to the public every day except holidays, with free admission (though donations are appreciated for preservation efforts). Additionally, there’s a gift shop offering Charleston-themed souvenirs for tourists.
While the tree’s beauty makes it a popular spot for photoshoots, permits are required. And forget about sitting or letting kids climb on the tree limbs. The staff strictly prohibits this; warning signs indicate as much. Picnics under the tree are also prohibited unless in designated picnic areas, where leashed dogs are welcome.
Angel Oak Tree History
Historical records dating back to 1717 reveal Abraham Waight owned the plantation where The Angel Oak Tree stands. The land was passed down through generations in the Waight family. Justus Angel acquired it through marriage; hence the tree’s name. The earliest mention of the plantation dates back to 1717. Our understanding of the land’s history and the circumstances surrounding the Angel Oak Tree comes from information found in the family archives of both the Waight and Angel families.
Now, considering the tree stands on a former plantation and we also know the significance of oak trees and have ever listened to Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday, then we know the potential true history of The Angel Oak Tree. Never a city to pass up on a way to lure in tourists, Charleston area businesses include The Angel Oak in their “ghost story events,” sharing tales of people seeing the ghost of former enslaved Africans haunting the tree and surrounding area.
Waight Angel Plantation History
As of 1849, there were 29 slaves on record living on Justus’ plantation, as evidenced by the “Inventory of Negroes at Angel Oak Plantation for the Month of July” To further prove the existence of enslaved Africans at this site, this receipt for $650 illustrates the purchase of Jesco White by Isaac Angel in 1853. Isaac inherited the property in the late 1700s.
Charles Snowden purchased the land, but historical records do not specify the price or date of the purchase. In 1797, Snowden gifted 500 acres of property to Martha Waight. Upon her marriage to Justus Angel, she received an additional 700 acres along with a home on the property.
Martha’s husband expanded the plantation to over 2,700 acres, although the specific crop grown on the land remains undocumented. After her husband’s death, Martha resided on the plantation with her children until the late 1850s, when Isaac Waight Angel, likely her son, inherited the property. Following his death in 1904, the family sold the land. In 1991, The City of Charleston bought the land where the Angel Oak Tree stands.
Of course, it is challenging to determine the names of enslaved Africans living on the plantation, however, the International African American Museum has an expansive research center for those looking to discover their family history.
