Meggan Monday: The Friendship Oak

The Friendship Oak on the campus of USM Gulf Park in Long Beach is considered to be one of the oldest live oaks in South Mississippi.

People all over the country send emails and posted on the internet to ask whether the tree had survived after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Coast.

Today, we want to give you a little more information on the iconic Coast landmark.

The Friendship Oak Tree is a staple in the Long Beach community. The historic live oak tree survived Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Katrina as well as other storms that hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Friendship Oak is loved by the Long Beach community, revered by tree lovers, and held in fond memories by those whose wedding ceremonies, family pictures, youth cheer, and high school pictures were conducted underneath the branches. Jason Cantu with USM Gulf Park said, “They do say that people who come and sit underneath the oak tree become lifelong friends no matter where they’re taken and that’s for anyone that sits underneath the Friendship Oak shadow.”

“So, the Friendship Oak is over 500 years old, so it is in good health, which is really good. It was a sapling in 1487, it’s 50 feet tall, 18 foot seven inches in circumference. It is not the oldest tree in the state. The oldest trees in the state are bald cypress on a lake. Those are over 1000 years old, but it is one of the oldest live oak trees in the entire state. It is one of the three oldest trees on the Gulf Coast.”

“And so that’s where you can see all of the branches spreading out onto the ground. That’s why we had to put stabilizers on it, to keep it level because it’s branching over to this side. We need to make sure that if we do get another hurricane, you know, it’ll be okay. It’s one of the first things that you can see. It’s visible from Highway 90, right when you park, it’s one of the first things that you get to walk up to. So, the oak is almost like a metaphor for the Gulf Coast and how resilient we are, even though it’s got struck by lightning three times, it’s still here. It’s still doing fine, it’s thriving, and that we’ll be able to celebrate it.”

The Friendship Oak truly is a living piece of history.