A 300-year-old southern live oak tree is undergoing a multiphase restoration effort at the Eutaw Springs battlefield in Orangeburg County. Preservationists say the tree stood on the same ground where American and British forces clashed in September of 1781, during one of the final major battles of the war.
“We’re really standing at the central point of the Eutaw Springs Battlefield,” said Catherine Noyes, Liberty Trail Program director and deputy director of land preservation for the American Battlefield Trust. “The British camp was on this property … all around this tree right behind us.”
American forces under Gen. Nathanael Greene launched a surprise attack on British troops led by Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart, initially driving them back into their camp. However, the British regrouped and used a defensive position in a brick house to turn the tide and hold the battlefield by the end of the day. Despite this technically being a British victory, the battle forced the British to retreat back to Charleston.
Garrison Marcoux, a historian with the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, says the tree offers a direct, physical connection to that moment in history.
“It is a witness tree. It witnessed this battle,” Marcoux said. “It provided shade to the men and their horses in the intense South Carolina September sun.”
But after centuries of standing, the tree is now in decline, not from war, but from damage that’s built up over time.
Arborist Aron Landsaw, with SavATree, a tree and lawn care company based in North Carolina, said a lightning strike more than 50 years ago split the tree, leading to the installation of chains and cables meant to stabilize it. Today, those same materials are causing harm.
“Those cables and chains that saved the tree’s life are now unfortunately slowly killing the tree,” said Landsaw. “It’s basically choking out the bark so it can’t pull up nutrients.”
SavATree crews are now working to reverse that damage. The restoration includes removing embedded hardware, improving soil conditions, and installing modern support and lightning protection systems. A process that they will be doing for at least a year before reassessing the tree.
“Once we remove the cables, the tree should be able to start pulling up some of those nutrients,” Landsaw said. “And it should thrive.”
The tree’s survival is significant given how many historic trees in the region have been lost over time. Former South Carolina State Parks Director Phil Gaines said Hurricane Hugo in 1989 destroyed and damaged many older trees across the area, making the southern live oak rare.
For those involved in the project, preserving the tree is about more than conservation, it’s about connection.
“It’s a living relic,” Marcoux said. “It’s unbelievable to think about.”
The initial restoration cost is about $20,000 which is a 50-50 commitment from the American Battlefield Trust and the South Carolina 250 Commission. The effort comes as South Carolina marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, but for now, the focus remains on ensuring the tree’s future, so it can continue standing as a symbol of the history in Eutawville.
