There’s No Other Historical Landmark In North Carolina Quite Like This 800-Year-Old Tree
By Robin Jarvis|Published April 12, 2019
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Robin Jarvis
Author
Robin Jarvis began writing for OnlyInYourState.com in 2015 and quickly advanced to a Senior Editor role. She's currently the Brand Manager and has a Bachelor's degree from West Virginia University in Journalism with a minor in Marketing. Her career history includes long running appearances on radio and television. She also has served as publisher of Shades of Green Magazine and Design Lead on several print publications. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for more than three decades and currently resides in Charleston, SC. When she's not working, she loves playing guitar, painting, traveling, and spending time with family.
Contact: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com
North Carolina is teeming with hidden gems awaiting your discovery. From waterfalls cascading down the sides of epic mountains to maritime forests along the coast, there’s always a new adventure ahead in the Tar Heel State. To that end, hiding in plain sight in an unassuming little park in the small town of Southport is a tree that’s arguably 800 years old.
It's located in Keziah Park, an oasis of shade on the corner of S Lord Street and W Moore Street only steps away from the Cape Fear River.
The oddly shaped tree is a head-turner notable for its bizarre formation.
If at first glance you have a notion that the tree is merely an ancient old branch that dipped underneath the ground and then sprouted back out and continued to grow... well, you'd likely be correct!
This beloved local landmark is called the Indian Trail Tree.
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It's believed that hundreds of years ago (some argue approximately 800 years ago), Native Americans living in the area marked the trail to their fishing hole by burying the tip of a sapling under the ground.
As the theory goes: soon after, the sapling rooted again and began the growth that we see today. Evidence isn't conclusive if that's the case with this ancient tree.
Others argue that the gorgeous old live oak is a mere 300 years old.
The 800-year-old Indian Trail Tree is located in Keziah Park at the corner of S Lord Street and W Moore Street in downtown Southport, North Carolina. The best time to visit is between dawn and dusk.
