Congaree National Park has historic Baldcypress tree called the
Harry
Hampton tree. More than fifty years ago, Harry Hampton, writer
and
editor for THE STATE newspaper, began a one-man campaign to
preserve the
Congaree River Floodplain as a "Natural Preserve".
Although his
position at the time was unpopular, his idea to preserve the
Congaree
Swamp persevered and today we have Congaree National Park one of
only 58
National Parks in the National Park Service system. Congaree
National
Park has named the Visitor Center and a very Large Baldcypress
tree in
honor of Harry Hampton for his everlasting contribution in
conservation. Harry Hampton used this tree as an example to
politicians, citizens, and the National Park Service to show
what would
be lost if a "Natural Preserve" was not establishment.
This tree is
extremely famous in Congaree National Park not only for its
enormous
size but because it embodies Harry Hampton's passion and vision
for
conservation. This tree is only here today because of the
efforts of
Harry Hampton. The Harry Hampton tree is the largest Baldcypress
in a
grove of other virgin Cypress trees. The H.H. Tree has a height
of 133
feet, and a circumference of 23 feet 9 inches. Bellow is a photo
of
Harry Hampton and the baldcpress
Harry Hampton, one of the "founding fathers" of
Congaree, is pictured above standing next to a giant Bald
cypress tree.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jeeping31/detail?.dir=b264&.dnm=e26cre2.jpg
http://www.nps.gov/cong/photosmultimedia/
harryhamptonphoto.htm?eid=133632&root_aId=192#e_133632
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