The Drayton Oak

Just off of Bridge Square, not too far from the site of the original Plantation House, stands a Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) of unusually impressive stature and scope.  This tree was planted around 1680 by Thomas Drayton, Jr. at the time he and his wife Anne settled at Magnolia, and over the years, the oak has become one of Magnolia’s most beloved living historic monuments.  In an early photograph of the Garden taken in 1901, the roots of this grand oak reach out into Magnolia Walk, and the speading branches arch gracefully over the Bridge Square Lawn, creating a natural outdoor room. 

However, this Oak is not only ancient and beautiful, it is also deeply charged with the spirit of Magnolia. If you look carefully, you just may see the shadow of a man standing in the trunk…  If you believe in ghosts, then surely this is the ghost of Magnolia’s recently deceased owner, J. Drayton Hastie, Sr., who worked tirelessly to bring Magnolia into the modern era. 

Hastie remembered playing on the roots as a child, and he chose this oak as his final resting place.  Rather than be buried in the Drayton Tomb, he wanted to be cremated and placed in the trunk of this oak.  Eventually the tree would cover the opening, and his soul would be locked in the heart of the tree.  When he died in December of 2002, his grandson and successor did place his ashes in the tree, and Thomas Drayton’s beautiful oak became home to one of Magnolia’s newest ghosts.