Shadows of Avenue Of Oaks Oak Alley St Simons Island GA Art

by Reid Callaway

Title

Shadows of Avenue Of Oaks Oak Alley St Simons Island GA Art

Artist

Reid Callaway

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Shadows of Avenue Of Oaks….by Reid Callaway
Oak Alley St Simons Island GA Art

The Avenue of Oaks which Stephen Malkoff often calls Oak Alley is located on Retreat Avenue on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It is said that Anne Page King planted this famous oak-lined pathway more than 150 years ago. The oaks highlight the entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club. Visitors are invariably captivated by the beautiful natural canopy provided by the thousands of live oak trees that grow to such majestic sizes in this area.

The Avenue of Oaks originally served as the entrance to Retreat Plantation, an antebellum plantation known for its superior quality sea island cotton and extensive flower gardens.

Live oak wood is hard, heavy, and difficult to work with, but very strong. In the days of wooden ships, live oaks were the preferred source of the framework timbers of the ship, using the natural trunk and branch angles for their strength. The frame of USS Constitution was constructed from southern live oak wood harvested from St. Simons Island, Georgia, and the density of the wood grain allowed it to survive cannonade, thus earning it the nickname "Old Ironsides". Even today, the U.S. Navy continues to own extensive live oak tracts.

Live oaks are known for their enormous size and vast networks of twisting, winding limbs. They are so named because their deep green leaves retain their color throughout the year. In the early days, St. Simons Island supported a thriving lumber industry. Oak timbers, cut from Cannons Point, were used in 1794 to build the U. S. frigate Constitution, named Old Ironsides. In 1874, timbers from the island were also cut for use in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. While many trees in this area are older, legend holds that the average life span of a live oak is 300 years.
Description written by Stephen Malkoff

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June 18th, 2015

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