The 350-year-old behemoth has a circumference that is reported to be a few inches larger than the iconic Angel Oak in Charleston County.
PORT ROYAL — The largest, oldest live oak in Beaufort County sprouted from an acorn and rose from the ground more than a century before South Carolina was established as a state. The tree stood through the American Revolution and Civil War, hurricanes and — most recently — developers.
A preservation effort aims to keep the 350-year-old Cherry Hill Oak around for generations to come.
On Aug. 28, that effort took a step forward with unanimous approval by the Beaufort County Public Facilities and Safety Committee to recommend buying the land where the live oak stands.
Committee members voted to recommend paying $1.55 million to acquire the 12 acres surrounding the tree, including the grave plot of Mary Pope. The price is 87% of the land’s appraised value.
Some believe that Pope was an enslaved woman at the Cherry Hill Plantation who was buried near the tree in the mid-1800s. Chuck Yahres has tried to solve the mystery of who Pope was.
Yahres is a direct descendent of the Ellis family, the family acquired the Cherry Hill Plantation at some point prior to 1860. His research has hinted that Pope may have instead been a family friend of the Ellis family. He also noted that there are several Popes in his family tree.
Though Pope has the only marked grave on the property, others could have been laid to rest around the oak tree. The county might explore that possibility using ground-penetrating radar should it buy the land.
Pope’s grave is a reminder that “the tree is a witness to the history of this place,” said Hope Cunningham.
She is among a group of Beaufort County residents who rallied in defense of the Cherry Hill Oak in the summer of 2022 when a developer proposed an apartment complex be built around it.
Zoning for the property, which is off Oak View Road and sandwiched between Parris Island Gateway and the marshes on the west bank of Battery Creek, allows a maximum of 2½ stories. Spartanburg-based Johnson Development Associates wanted to build three-story buildings.
The developer appeared before Port Royal’s design review board last September to request a building variance.
After enthusiastic public opposition, the board voted unanimously to deny the request, which the developer subsequently withdrew.
With development plans shelved, property owner Merry Land Investments LLC shifted gears and began to consider a conservation solution. The corporation turned to the county’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program. If the county moves forward with the purchase, it will be with funding from the program.
Even before the publicity around the Cherry Hill Oak’s possible demise, the tree was a bit of a celebrity, said Michael Murphy, an longtime arborist.
The grand oak was given its title as the county’s largest and oldest tree in 2009, as the city of Beaufort was preparing to celebrate its 300th anniversary.
Murphy recorded its measurements after he was asked to participate in a project to find the oldest tree in the county.
“Our goal was to find a tree that would be like the Angel Oak (on Johns Island) is to Charleston County for Beaufort County,” Murphy told The Post and Courier this year. “We found it.”
Speaking to committee members this week, Murphy lauded the future Cherry Hill Park as a potential “crown jewel” in the 24,000 acres secured by the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program since 1999.
“On (the park’s) 12 acres grows a diverse collection of native trees,” Murphy said, “but it also houses 32 landmark trees as well as the Cherry Hill live oak itself.”
The program’s board this summer voted and approved a recommendation that the county move forward with purchasing the 12-acre parcel.
Monday’s approval by the Public Facilities and Safety Committee will bring the recommendation to County Council.
If purchased, the site would still require significant funding to clean up the area and maintain the tree.
A group established by Cunningham, called Friends of Cherry Hill Oak, intends to raise money in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry to support both the care of the live oak and preservation of the future park.
The whole process is a lesson in civics, Cunningham told The Post and Courier before the Monday meeting.
“If you care about something, you can show up, you can get involved, you can make a difference in your own community,” Cunningham said. “If I can do that, anybody could do that.”