Friendship Oak is a 500-year-old southern live oak (''

Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...

'') located on the Gulf Park campus of the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

in Long Beach, Mississippi. 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 Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

first visited the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

. According to legend, those who enter the shade of its branches will remain friends for all their lives. In the 1920s, poet

Vachel Lindsay Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (; November 10, 1879 – December 5, 1931) was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern ''singing poetry,'' as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted. Early years Lindsay was born ...

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 The Live Oak Society is a membership organization for mature live oak trees. It was founded in 1934 to advance the culture, distribution, preservation, and appreciation of the southern live oak (''Quercus virginiana'') and functions under the aus ...

. 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. In 2024, the coast campus was approved for a sidewalk grant from the

Mississippi Department of Transportation The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Mississippi. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in s ...

. The grant allows for a dedicated parking space and sidewalk to the Friendship Oak. A natural boundary is created to encourage pollinators to come to the area.

Tree measurements

On August 22, 2011, staff from 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). In August 2017, one of the main limbs on Friendship Oak broke due to the weight of new growth and heavy rain. The tree's health was subsequently assessed by a certified arborist, and the failed limb was removed in October 2017. Remediation work included some pruning plus installation of bracing to support other limbs.

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 A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

winds have defoliated the Friendship Oak and subjected its roots to

seawater Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximat ...

pushed inland from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

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 The Mississippi Gulf Coast, also known as Mississippi Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Coastal Mississippi, and The Coast, is the area of Mississippi along the Mississippi Sound at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography At t ...

to replace live oaks that were destroyed by Hurricanes Camille (1969) and Katrina (2005).

References

External links

Friendship Oak (2017) – University of Southern Mississippi
{{Coord, 30, 21, 06.37, N, 89, 08, 09.94, W, region:US-MS_type:landmark, display=title Individual oak trees Tourist attractions in Harrison County, Mississippi Harrison County, Mississippi Individual trees in the United States Landmarks in Mississippi

History and folklore

Tree measurements

Cultural legacy

See also

References

External links