Friendship Oak, Southern live oak on the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, United States.
Friendship Oak is a large live oak tree growing on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, Mississippi, with a thick trunk and long horizontal branches. The tree covers a wide area of ground and can be spotted from a distance across the open campus.
The tree started growing in 1487, before the first European explorers reached the American continent. Over the centuries it survived several major storms, including hurricanes that hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The oak has long been a favorite spot for weddings, graduations, and family gatherings on the campus grounds. Visitors sometimes find fresh flowers or small personal tokens left behind from recent celebrations.
The tree stands on an open campus and can be reached on foot without entering any building. Bring enough water during hot weather, as there is little other shade right around the tree.
Local tradition holds that anyone who sits beneath the Friendship Oak will always return to Long Beach, a belief passed down by students for generations. The tree's name itself comes from this idea of lasting bonds formed in its shade.
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