Friendship Oak (Long Beach, Mississippi)
Encyclopedia
Friendship Oak is a 500-year-old southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located on the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, Mississippi
. The campus was formerly Gulf Park College for Women from 1921 until 1971.
first discovered the New World
. According to legend, those who enter the shade of its branches will remain friends for all their lives.
In the 1920s, poet Vachel Lindsay
taught at Gulf Park College for Women and read poetry to students beneath the branches of Friendship Oak.
Friendship Oak was the 110th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society. At the time of registration (circa 1940), the tree's trunk circumference was 14 feet (4.3 m).
In 1950, the oak was featured in a Life
magazine article about Gulf Park College, where students attended classes under the tree.
Through the centuries, hurricane winds have defoliated the Friendship Oak and subjected its roots to seawater
pushed inland from the Gulf of Mexico
as storm surges. At least twice since the mid-1950s, acorns from Friendship Oak have been gathered to produce seedlings for replanting along the Mississippi Gulf Coast
to replace live oaks that were destroyed by Hurricanes Camille
(1969) and Katrina
(2005).
Long Beach, Mississippi
Long Beach is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi, USA. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The campus was formerly Gulf Park College for Women from 1921 until 1971.
History and folklore
Friendship Oak dates from the year 1487, and was a sapling at the time that Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
first discovered the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. According to legend, those who enter the shade of its branches will remain friends for all their lives.
In the 1920s, poet Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...
taught at Gulf Park College for Women and read poetry to students beneath the branches of Friendship Oak.
Friendship Oak was the 110th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society. At the time of registration (circa 1940), the tree's trunk circumference was 14 feet (4.3 m).
In 1950, the oak was featured in a Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine article about Gulf Park College, where students attended classes under the tree.
Tree measurements
On August 20, 2011, the Mississippi Forestry Commission took the following measurements on Friendship Oak:- The tree was 59 feet (18 m) in height with a trunk diameter of 5.75 feet (1.75 m).
- The circumference of the trunk was 19.8 feet (6.0 m), and the crown spread was 155 feet (47 m).
- The average length of the main lateral limbs was 60 feet (18 m) from the trunk with an average circumference of 7.5 feet (2.3 m) for the limbs at the trunk.
- The tree's crown covered approximately 16,000 square feet (1486 square meters), and lateral roots extended 150 feet (45.7 m).
Cultural legacy
Numerous weddings have taken place beneath the branches of the Friendship Oak. Most of the wedding ceremonies have been celebrated by former students of Gulf Park College or the University of Southern Mississippi.Through the centuries, hurricane winds have defoliated the Friendship Oak and subjected its roots to seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
pushed inland from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
as storm surges. At least twice since the mid-1950s, acorns from Friendship Oak have been gathered to produce seedlings for replanting along the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mississippi Gulf Coast
The Mississippi Gulf Coast refers to the three Mississippi counties which lie on the Gulf of Mexico: Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.The region was severely damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
to replace live oaks that were destroyed by Hurricanes Camille
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...
(1969) and Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
(2005).