Tall Trees - Deep Roots

Our Mission

The mission of the Friends of Cherry Hill Oak is to partner with Beaufort County Passive Parks to provide for the care and protection of the 2013 Heritage Live Oak and to support the preservation stewardship of the natural resources of Cherry Hill Park. These resources will provide significant ecological and economic benefits to Beaufort County residents for generations. 

Our History

In 2009, the Beaufort Three Century Project began a tree search to celebrate the three-hundredth anniversary of Beaufort's founding. A team of arborists set out to locate the oldest tree in Beaufort County. As part of this search, arborist Michael Murphy identified the oldest and largest live oak on a bluff overlooking the marshes of Battery Creek that were once part of Cherry Hill Plantation. 

The Cherry Hill Oak tree is 113.75 inches in diameter measured at 4.5 feet, with a circumference of 30 feet 1 inch. It is 55 feet tall and has a 114-foot spread. In 2013 Trees SC recognized the Cherry Hill Oak as the 2013 Heritage Live Oak. Surviving for 350 years, this tree has borne witness to Colonialism, Revolution, Civil War, and countless hurricanes. Deeply embedded in history, the Cherry Hill Oak is an iconic symbol of natural beauty, strength, and perseverance that merits preservation.

The nearly twelve-acre parcel on which the tree is located remained relatively untouched until it was threatened in 2022 by development. The proposed construction of 200 apartments, six townhomes, amenities, and residential parking threatened the tree by reducing its habitat to one-tenth of an acre. The Town of Port Royal denied the developer's request for a variance to build three-story units following a citizen protest that focused on recognizing trees as a community asset.

While this action prevented one development, it did not protect the land, the 2013 Heritage Live Oak or the dozens of landmark and specimen trees gracing the Cherry Hill parcel. Seeking a long-term solution, neighbors and concerned citizens contacted the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and the Open Land Trust. The property was deemed eligible for Rural and Critical Lands, and the landowner agreed to apply to the Open Land Trust Rural and Critical Lands program for potential purchase by Beaufort County. 

That application is currently in the due diligence process for a fee-simple purchase by Beaufort County as a passive park.