The Boyington Oak
Charles Boyington was hanged on 20 February 1835 for the murder of his roommate Frost. Before his death he said an oak would grow from his grave as proof of his innocence.
In May 1834 Charles Boyington was charged over the killing of his roommate, Frost. WKRG News 5 reports that a jury found him guilty that November. He waited in Conde Charlotte Jail and was hanged on 20 February 1835, outside the Oakleigh house. Wikipedia records that he kept insisting he was innocent even after the verdict.
Boyington was buried at the northwestern edge of Church Street Graveyard, in the section for paupers' graves. The William G. Pomeroy Foundation marker says that the cemetery is also where his roommate's body had been found.
The tree is the part of the story told as legend. The marker text says Boyington announced before his death that an oak would sprout from his heart and spread over his grave to prove his innocence. Wikipedia words it as a reported statement. Both say an oak did grow at the grave. The Pomeroy marker adds that two people later owned up to the crime as they lay dying.
"Boyington was the obvious suspect in the murder, but steadfastly professed his innocence even after he was found guilty of the crime. He was executed on February 20, 1835 for the murder of Frost and buried in the northwestern corner of Church Street Graveyard, in the potter's field section.[4] Prior to being hanged, Boyington reportedly stated that a mighty oak tree would spring from his heart as proof of his innocence.[1][2] An oak tree did eventually grow from the grave."
- The Boyington Oak (Legends & Lore marker), William G. Pomeroy Foundation (2020)
- The science and the story of The Boyington Oak, WKRG News 5 (2019)