Спасатели извлекают из 300-летнего дуба цепи, чтобы сохранить свидетеля войны за независимость

Arborists conduct rescue of 300-year-old Revolutionary War tree, expanding Liberty Trail Experts extract choking 50-year-old iron chains from Eutawville tree EUTAWVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A 300-year-old Revolutionary War tree is being surgically rescued in the historic town of Eutawville. Across from Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park, the live oak is part of the historic four-acre parcel preserved by the American Battlefield Trust and South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust. Standing on the exact ground where British forces pitched camp prior to the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781, a bloody conflict where over 1,300 casualties fell, the tree is a rare living sentinel that predates the founding of the United States. “It’s unbelievable to have a living relic, emphasis on living, because once again, this is 245 years ago next month,” Garrison Marcoux, South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust historian, says. “So, something alive is extraordinarily rare. And so, this tree is extraordinarily rare. It’s a very old, estimated to be 300-year-old tree. It was about 50 years old when the battle took place. It witnessed a lot. It witnessed men fighting and dying for this country and against this country.” However, it’s in need of saving and will need two days to fully rescue the oak. “Our main goal is to make this tree last another hundred years,” Aron Landsaw, a SavATree certified arborist and tree risk assessor, says. This is the first time I’ve done something this significant, so it’s pretty important to me.” A scientific assessment led by SavATree International Society of Arboriculture and Landsaw revealed that while the 72-inch trunk diameter giant remains in fair health, it is under severe vascular stress. Heavy iron chains and steel support cables wrapped around the tree following a lightning strike 50 years ago have been swallowed into the growing bark, choking the tree from within 5 to 15 feet above ground. “The tree right now is in fair condition, but it’s in decline because those cables and chains wrapped around it are kind of choking it out, so it can’t pull nutrients up from the ground,” Landsaw says. The SavATree team is conducting a soil decompaction and then adding a biodegradable organic chemical to help re-nourish the soil. They are also installing a new structural support system to the upper branches that also includes a lightning protection system so if the tree is once again hit by lightning, it will run down to the ground and dissipate throughout the soil instead of harming the tree. “This is a standing part of history that actually witnessed the Revolutionary War, and to let this tree die would be a disservice to our area,” Landsaw says. This work also marks a step in transforming the vacant four-acre lot into an official historical park expansion along the Liberty Trail. Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park across the street is already a part of the Liberty Trail. “This tree being here and witnessing this battle, it’s a tangible piece that people can come and visit, people can come and see and understand that this was here when the battle took place 245 years ago,” Marcoux says. The trail currently connects battlefields across the Palmetto State and tells the stories of that chapter of American history. The goal is to eventually permanently protect more than 2,5000 acres of battlefield land and link nearly 80 sites. “I encourage people to get out and explore their local history, to explore South Carolina and understand what’s around us and why South Carolina is so important in the history of our nation,” Marcoux says. Project leaders say they expect to see progress after the next six months to a year, when they’ll do monthly soil treatments throughout the year and reassess then. Copyright 2026 WCSC. All rights reserved.