‘This gave us roots’

Maybe it’s the way the leaves rustle softly in the wind, or the majesty of its trunk and branches, or the peace that comes when she gazes out onto Smythe Lake while sitting beneath its canopy.

 

It’s hard to single out what Daniel Island resident Lavenia Dollins loves most about the stately grand live oak her friends adopted in Smythe Park in memory of her late husband, Claude, who passed away last December.

 

She is grateful for it all.

 

“This has been here maybe hundreds of years,” Dollins said on a recent visit to the tree. “And in this beautiful, peaceful setting, it’s just such a lovely tribute. It’s living. It’s ongoing. It’s seen years of history, and this island developed. So I think that’s very, very special.”

 

Dollins’ friends at Overture Daniel Island, the island’s senior apartment community where she lives, adopted the tree through the Daniel Island Historical Society’s Live Oak Campaign. Dollins named the tree Dako, a moniker given to Claude by their grandchildren. 

 

“I was just floored when my friends did that,” she said. “I just thought what a lovely, lovely kindness to me and our family. And something that means so much.”

 

Daniel Island residents Marilyn and Jim Geiger have found their participation in the program to be meaningful as well. They have adopted six live oaks in Fallen Oak Park in Daniel Island Park – five named in honor of each of their grandchildren and one for their two adult children and their spouses.

 

Their children then surprised them and adopted a tree for them, naming it Mimi and Jimbo’s Tree. 

 

“We moved here eight years ago (from Connecticut), and you have to establish new traditions when you move,” Marilyn said. “This is probably our last stop! And I’m hoping the grandchildren will remember… it ties them here.”

 

“They hang out in the park a lot,” added Jim. “Every time they visit.”

 

The trees help the Geigers feel closer to their family, since they all live in other states. 

 

“We just wanted to give them a sense of place here,” Marilyn said. “And what could be better than in this park? I come here often. I just feel connected to it. And I feel more connected to Daniel Island, this beautiful place we moved to.”

 

“This gave us roots,” she continued. “Literally and figuratively! It’s just a nice spot. So peaceful.”

 

 

IF THESE TREES COULD TALK…

 

Dako and the Geiger family’s trees are among the 90 island live oaks adopted in honor or memory of individuals, organizations, and businesses through the DIHS program, entitled “If These Trees Could Talk, What Stories Would They Tell?”

 

Most trees are in public spaces owned and maintained by the Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association. Island residents Kevin and Joy Kelly, who also live in Overture, are chairs of the program of the DIHS.

 

“We are very impressed with DIHS, and when they were looking for someone to take responsibility for the Live Oak adoption program, we decided to give it a try,” Kevin said. “We had noticed the signs at the trees that had already been adopted and thought it was a very cool way to support the historical society while honoring the

historic oaks that are such an amazing part of the landscape here in Charleston.”

 

The Kellys have enjoyed learning more about the stories behind the tree adoptions. 

 

“It’s fun to watch the adopters decide which tree ‘speaks to them,’ Joy said. “I think it makes them really look at the oaks and appreciate what the trees add to the quality of life. We are so lucky to live among them, so lucky that those who came before us recognized the value in keeping them.”

 

“We’ve also been very touched by those adopting trees to honor the memory of a loved one who has died,” she said. “Each adopter seemed to find comfort in having a physical place to come to remember their lost partner, son, friend – a place to be with them in a sense.”

 

Kevin’s favorite adoption story is the one associated with the tree known as Hezekiah, along the trail behind the Pierce Park Pavilion. It was dedicated to former Daniel Island Historical Society President Chris Frisby for his service to the organization. Frisby named the tree Hezekiah in honor of his third great-grandfather, Hezekiah

Watson, a soldier in the famous Massachusetts 54th Regiment from 1863 to 1865.

 

“He served in Charleston, fighting and sustaining injury at the Battle of Fort Wagner on Morris Island,” Frisby notes on the DIHS website’s tree catalog.

 

“The name Hezekiah translates from Hebrew to mean roughly, ‘He who God has strengthened.’ This, it would seem, would be a fitting tribute and name for one of our live oaks, which has grown great and strong over time.”

 

Other trees on the island named after significant individuals in history include The Governor Daniell Oak on River Landing Drive. It was adopted by David and Karen Daniell of Georgia in honor of Robert Daniell, David’s fifth great-grandfather and Daniel Island’s namesake.

 

In addition to the live oaks adopted in memory of someone who has passed, a number of trees have been adopted to honor the living, as well as different organizations and businesses.

 

For example, The Bark Oak in Smythe Park was adopted by the Daniel Island Animal Hospital.

 

The Gullah Celebration Oak was dedicated by DIHS to renowned Gullah artist Jonathan Green, an early supporter of the organization.

 

The Ittiwan Oak in Daniel Island Park is dedicated to the Ittiwan people who once called the island home. 

 

According to the Kellys, the process of adopting a tree is easy and affordable. All adoptees receive two certificates, one from DIHS and one from the national Live Oak Society. DIHS provides a marker for each tree with the adopter’s name and the tree’s name.

 

Privately owned trees are not excluded. Daniel Island residents or businesses with live oaks on their properties are also encouraged to register them so they can be documented.

 

“We are happy to come out and measure trees on private property… and provide the owner with their official certificates and sign,” Kevin said. “It’s not a tricky process, and the fees are very reasonable. They would be supporting the great work that the Daniel Island Historical Society is doing to research our history, preserve it, and share it.”

 

PLANTING THE SEEDS

 

Former DIHS President Brenda Thorn launched the organization’s Live Oak Campaign in 2014, after visiting the home of Pepe Hernandez at the former Hobcaw Shipyard in Mount Pleasant.

 

She learned about the important role live oaks played in shipbuilding hundreds of years ago. Hernandez told her about the national Live Oak Society based in Louisiana, and Thorn was immediately intrigued.

 

“I had no idea the LOS even existed,” Thorn told The Daniel Island News at the time. “Mr. Hernandez provided the spark that got our campaign started. We realized that none of Daniel Island’s live oaks were registered, and we felt strongly it was time to celebrate them!”

 

The DIPOA agreed and allowed DIHS to include more than 100 trees as part of the campaign. Thorn and her late husband, Walt, got to work measuring each adoptee in community spaces maintained by the DIPOA.

 

To qualify for the Live Oak Society, the trees must be at least eight feet in circumference. 

 

Those greater than 16 feet in circumference have been dubbed by DIHS as “Centenarians.” “Evergreens” are between 12 feet and 16 feet, and “Acorns” between eight and 12 feet.

 

DIHS established adoption fees based on the tree’s circumference to cover registration costs and support the organization’s mission. Each tree is registered not only in the DIHS online tree catalog, but also in the LOS. 

 

For Thorn, these special trees serve as monuments to the past. 

 

“It goes back to our campaign theme – ‘If these trees could talk, what stories would they tell?’” Thorn said. “There aren’t many physical reminders of history in terms of old structures on Daniel Island. But these mighty trees, some of them hundreds of years old, have witnessed so much – and survived. Colonial life, the Revolutionary

War, the Civil War, the agricultural and shipbuilding eras on Daniel Island, and so much more. Just imagine what they have seen!”

 

Today, DIHS has only 18 trees remaining for adoption, but they hope to add more to their inventory in the future. Daniel Island’s trees are now well represented in the Live Oak Society’s national registry, which features more than 10,000 trees in 15 states.

 

Thorn, who lives in Summerville, is pleased to know the DIHS Live Oak Program is continuing to thrive.

 

One of her most memorable tree stories is the one associated with The Proposal Oak in Smythe Park. She remembers getting a call from Dorothy and Jim Cantwell to come and see the tree they wanted to adopt. When she arrived, they showed her the oak and told her it was the place Jim proposed to Dorothy after they had been together for more than 30 years. They had their wedding beneath its branches. 

 

“That was the whole idea behind the campaign,” recalled Thorn. “To share experiences and tell stories.”

 

To adopt a tree, register a privately owned tree, or for more information, visit the DIHS website at dihistoricalsociety.com/honoring-our-living-history-live-oak-campaign/ or email dihistoricalsociety@gmail.com.  

 

Editor’s note: The Daniel Island News’ Elizabeth Bush is the founder and president of DIHS.