Common Name: live oak
Scientific Name: Quercus virginiana
Category: Historic tree
Comments: This tree truly can fall under all of the above categories. Located on the beautiful campus of Hampton University, Hampton's proud past meets your promising future& One day in 1863, the members of the Virginia Peninsula's black community gathered to hear a prayer answered. With a crown spread 98 feet in diameter, the Emancipation Oak was the site of the first Southern reading of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, an act which accelerated the demand for African-American education. The peaceful shade of the oak served as the first classroom for newly freed men and women - eager for an education. Mrs. Mary Peake, daughter of a freed colored woman and a Frenchman, conducted the first lessons taught under the oak located on the University's campus. Outdoor classes composed of enslaved African Americans had long been held under this tree. In 1863 under the limbs of the Emancipation Oak, Union soldiers first read the Emancipation Proclamation to the freed African American commu
Dendrology Notes: See also: 1334 and 1443 and 1527
Best time to photograph: Summer, Afternoon
Nominator: Clifford B. Chambliss, III
This tree is not on public or publicly accessible property. The owner's name, address, and the exact location of the tree are not displayed to protect the privacy of these individuals. If you are the owner and wish to make this information public, please let us know.
County/City: Hampton