A 300 yr-old Live Oak tree on the campus of Hampton University in Virginia stuns visitors with its strength and beauty. It’s also an enduring symbol of a watershed moment in American history - the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, which freed enslaved people in the rebel states.

How could a tree play a role in that momentous event, at least locally? What did emancipation truly mean to African-Americans in 1863? How does the tree still inspire the hearts and imagination of people today?

Guests
Abra Lee
Garden Historian, Writer, Lecturer
conquerthesoil.com
Director of Horticulture, Oakland Cemetery
Atlanta, GA

Prof. Robert Watson
Assistant Professor of History
Hampton University
Hampton, VA

Tim Nuckols
Owner, Nuckols Tree Care
Virginia Beach, VA

Consulting Editor
Josh Abrams

Music
"Steal Away" - Wallace Willis
Arranged by Roland Carter
Sung by the Winston-Salem State University Choir

Photo Credit
Hampton University

Theme Music
"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com

Artwork
Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home

Website
thisoldtree.show
Transcripts available.

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This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here.

We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:
[email protected]

This episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators.
litartsri.org