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| Edisto Mystery Tree, Edisto, S.C. |
I've featured the
Edisto Mystery Tree before but it's hard to resist pulling over for a shot of the colorful curiosity. My friend Rebecca pointed out that there wasn't really a tree there at all but you can see some driftwood limbs beneath the hanging decorations. That appears to be a pink volkswagon on the top and the sign reads "Live Slow Die Old". Not bad advice. As always I appreciate people who contribute to my joy in the world.
SCIway has a map to the location in case you are heading that way.
Atlasobscura: Almost more of a natural coatrack than a tree, the Edisto Mystery
Tree has nonetheless become a festive magnet for zany decorations in a
tradition that has no clear origin.
The tree stands a stone’s throw away from where Highway 174
intersects with Botany Bay Road. It’s nothing more than a scraggly
little thing, but for generations it’s been decorated by locals and
vacationers all throughout the year. During the peak summer months, it
is commonplace to see beach chairs, sand pails, flip flops, Independence
Day decorations, and a host of other items hanging from the tree. Like
the seasons, the tree changes along with them. While the tree is
ever-changing, the real mystery behind the tree is that nobody knows
just who started the whole thing to begin with. In fact at one point
some rebellious youths uprooted the tree and hauled it away, but lo and
behold, some mysterious benefactor planted another similar tree in its
place. Whether it was the same person who planted the original tree and
started the decorative tradition or just a local who couldn't stand to
see the festive plant disappear, it appears that the Edisto Mystery Tree
is not going away any time soon.
