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Preservationists are working to extend the life of a rare Revolutionary War ‘witness tree’
Crews are decompacting soil, adding nutrients and installing new lightning protection as preservationists try to save the split oak from choking metal supports.
- The South Carolina Battlefield Preservation Trust recently launched a rescue mission for a Revolutionary War "witness tree" at the Eutaw Springs historic site, aiming to remove aging metal supports choking the massive live oak.
- Workers lashed the tree with steel cables and chains decades ago to save it, but those mechanisms now cut into the bark; the tree witnessed the Battle of Eutaw Springs 245 years ago and can no longer pull nutrients from soil.
- On Aug. 12, 2026, Maryland-based SavATree installed copper lightning rods into the branches, while crews previously used supersonic air tools to de-compact soil and injected kelp mixture to restore vital nutrients.
- Arborist Aron Landsaw explains a center hub will connect new cables allowing the tree to sway naturally, as workers prepare to bolt these into five main branches before removing old hardware.
- As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the American Battlefield Trust and South Carolina 250 lead preservation efforts, with Landsaw confident the tree will inspire new generations of Americans for at least 100 years.
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Fight erupts to save Revolutionary War “witness tree” – The Horn News
Standing beneath the spreading branches of a massive live oak, historian Garrison Marcoux tries to imagine what this scarred, struggling tree saw 245 years ago. Did one of the British soldiers encamped at this South Carolina crossroad near the end of the Revolutionary War sit in the oak’s shade to recuperate from the series of attacks in American Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene’s “war of posts?” Did he or his comrades take cover behind its then slend…
Associated Press News+26 Reposted by 26 other sources
Preservationists are working to extend the life of a rare Revolutionary War 'witness tree'
A scarred but majestic live oak at a Revolutionary War battlefield in South Carolina is getting a new lease on life.
·New York, United States
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Under the extended branches of a huge evergreen oak, historian Garrison Marcoux tries to imagine what this tree saw 245 years ago.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources41
Leaning Left10Leaning Right6Center21Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 27%
C 57%
R 16%
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