Lover's Oak dedication ceremony set for Friday

Taylor Cooper, The Brunswick News, Ga.
·2 min read

Aug. 1—Golden Isles Fund for Trees will unveil new signage for Lover's Oak in downtown Brunswick following a project to freshen up the historic live oak tree.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m., said Sandy Colhard, who works with GIFT. As part of the ceremony, GIFT will unveil new signs about the tree's long history and the ecology of live oaks.

The centuries-old live oak tree at the corner of Albany and Prince streets is estimated to be anywhere from 350 to 900 years old. References to the tree in print date back to 1882 and photographs to 1890 per research conducted by GIFT.

Legends tell of lovers from two Native American tribes who would meet under the tree, giving it its name.

A newspaper in Albany, Georgia, noted in 1889 that Brunswick City Hall had circled Lover's Oak with a fence and made it a crime to deface it.

Another newspaper in Macon described it in these words in 1888: "Here was probably the trysting tree of many generations of dusky youths and maidens, and now it is still the favorite resort of young lovers. Could that old tree but talk, how many a true love tale of ardent vow and plighted troth could it make known."

Colhard has been a great help to GIFT, said board member Miriam Lancaster. In a past interview with The News, she dubbed Colhard the "guardian angel of Lover's Oak."

GIFT did some fundraising for the effort, but it was mostly paid for by the Craft family, specifically Colhard's parents, Lancaster said. The Crafts gave generously to GIFT and other environmental preservation groups, she said. When they passed, Colhard said she knew they would have wanted to do something special for Lover's Oak.

"I think it's the most famous historic live oak we have. ... Certainly the oldest we have," Colhard said.

Colhard, who lives in a home adjacent to Lovers Oak, said she sees five to six visitors every day stop by. Many are enthusiasts who specifically seek out landmarks of the natural world.

"Lovers Oak is an icon," Lancaster said. "It's a well-known landmark and it's one of the top 10 things to do (in Brunswick) on TripAdvisor."

The signs are part of a larger project to "refresh" Lover's Oak, Lancaster said. The process got started in November of last year with an evaluation by St. Simons Island arborist Roger Ditmer, she said. He volunteered his time and came back with a set of recommendations to maximize the old tree's longevity.

In March, the city and GIFT split a $11,735 bill for tree trimming, support cables and a fertilizer root treatment conducted by Bartlett Tree Experts of Savannah.

For more information on GIFT, visit goldenislestrees.org. To contribute toward the maintenance of Lover's Oak, mail a check to P.O. Box 24038, St. Simons Island, GA 31522.