When I saw this sculpture of a man’s face in the tree, my first thought was of the movie, “Scrooge,” where Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, visits him as a ghost. There is that same ghostly feel to the man carved in the tree. My next thoughts were, “who carved this man’s face, why, and where.”

I soon learned that on St. Simons Island, GA, there are a lot of old oak trees. Long ago, these oak trees were used to build ships and many sailors died on those ships out at sea. Sculptor, Keith Jennings, was commissioned to create faces in approximately 20 oak trees around the island, which commemorate the lives of sailors who were lost at sea. Jennings has referred to these sculptures as “tree spirits.” He has said he feels the trees talk to him and that is how he does his sculptures. Not all of the sculptures are of men. For those who are curious now, you can follow Tree Spirits of St. Simons Island on Facebook.

There is something haunting and realistic about the sculptures. For sure, they seem to want to speak to us and tell us of their sorrows. So, if you like a treasure hunt, take a trip to St. Simons, pull out your map and try to locate the 20 different “tree spirits” on the island.

Do you really think that there are spirits in the trees?  I wonder…