'Save the Meeting Tree' event raises awareness about campaign to preserve historic live oak

Sammy Sanders will not rest until the future of the Meeting Tree is certain. In another attempt to bring awareness to the possibly 300-year-old tree at the intersection of Clements Ferry Road and Cainhoy Road, Sanders hosted a night of live music under the expansive evergreen on Saturday, March 2.

“I’ve got to do my best to try and preserve the tree,” said Sanders about the event.

The reason for the festivities stems from a battle that the Cainhoy resident has been fighting for almost two years now. The Clements Ferry Road widening project is a necessary addition to the area’s growth, but the plan calls for the road to push in the direction of the Meeting Tree, effectively tearing it down to make room for the busy thoroughfare. Throughout the long night, around 150 people turned out, according to Sanders, to listen to good music, sign a petition to save the tree, and take in the scenery of the stately live oak, which was lit up with LED spotlights.

“The thought process is you do something to get people there and show what’s going on and talk with people and get grass roots support,” Sanders stated. “We’re going to start a campaign to do a petition and I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.”

According to Berkeley County Public Information Officer Hannah Moldenhauer, the tree is in the SCDOT right-of-way. Both Sanders and Jason Crowley of the Coastal Conservation League believe that the Meeting Tree has cultural and historical significance to the Cainhoy area. Performing musician Graham Whorley said that he chose to play the awareness benefit because he wanted to support his friend.

“He [Sanders] called me and had me over one day, and we had lunch and he showed me the tree,” said Whorley. “Sammy’s always been a great guy and for him to want to save this tree in my opinion, makes him an even better one.”

“We should respect it,” he added, referencing the tree. “I’m all about progress. However, when we’re killing history in order for progress to be made, what good is that?”

At the event, Sanders presented a map with his alternative plan for the road widening, in which he wants to expand the road in the other direction. This will force Clements Ferry Road into wetlands, which Sanders showed in his map could be mitigated by creating other wetlands nearby.

“In my opinion, the road will be safer if it’s widened to the other side,” said Sanders. “I’m going to try to do a straight up delineation of the wetlands to see what exactly the effect would be.”

“I think that we could go create wetlands somewhere at a five to one rate, and it’s a win,” he continued. “It’s such a beautiful tree— I mean, it’s a tragedy if they take it down, in my opinion.”

The last time The Daniel Island News reported on the status of the Meeting Tree was in May of 2018. At the time, then Berkeley County Supervisor Bill Peagler indicated that the tree’s fate was under review and that a decision was forthcoming. Previous coverage on the tree included the following comment from Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley of Daniel Island.

“I am of the opinion that we should save all grand trees that we possibly can but that goal is secondary to safety considerations,” stated Whitley. “I am anxious to see what the engineers propose after public comment and redesign evaluation.”

The paper reached out to Berkeley County to get an update for this story, but did not receive a response by press time. Look for more information in an upcoming issue.