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Lover’s Oak Tree is as iconic as Lakeland's swans
FOX 13’s Carla Bayron reports.
LAKELAND, Fla. - The view of Lake Morton is beautiful no matter where you stand, but there's one spot in particular that's quite famous.
"People came and visited and became very familiar with the tree and what it had to offer, which was the shade and a great view," said Jamin Smith, a spokesperson for the City of Lakeland.
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The backstory:
Lovers' Oak sits at the intersection of Success Avenue and Lake Morton Drive, and its history started with the inception of the City of Lakeland itself — back in the early 1880s.
The Riggins family, originally from Missouri, moved to Lakeland and bought land in and around Lake Morton. Mann Riggins and his brother-in-law opened a dry goods store downtown.
Mann's older son, Norman, sat on civic boards and was instrumental in the development of church and school. They owned a citrus grove around the lake where they removed and planted trees.
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"This one tree, in particular, he makes a note saying the tree was really a pretty little tree, and it was in a nice location right by the water, and if you wanted to come up and enjoy the water from the hot blazing sun, that tree has stayed there ever since that time," said Luann Mims, the special collections librarian supervisor with the Lakeland History and Culture Center.
It withstood hurricanes, growth and development.
Behind its romantic name
Dig deeper:
The reason why this tree is called Lovers' Oak is that it's actually two trees that look like they're hugging or forever embracing. In a 1920s postcard from the Lakeland Public Library Database, you can see the two trees "kissing."
Big picture view:
A city spokesperson said the tree is in great health for its age and has minimal decay. Still, it needs to be trimmed every once in a while — in fact, it was just cut last week — so it doesn't become a danger to public safety.
"It started as a beautification piece around Lake Morton, so with that we wanted to continue to keep that tradition alive by maintaining its integrity and making sure it's healthy for future generations," Smith said.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Carla Bayron.