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The Devil's Tree - retired LbNA #19911 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jan 7, 2006
Location:
City:Port Saint Lucie
County:St. Lucie
State:Florida
Boxes:1
Planted by:Southern Oracle
Found by: Jayanjas
Last found:Apr 9, 2007
Status:OFF
Last edited:Jan 7, 2006
This box has been retired.


The Devil's Tree

***Please note, this box and legend may be a little scary for young boxers. Parents, make sure you look at the stamp image first before letting the youngsters stamp in. I don't want to cause any nightmares!***

This box is the first in the “Weird Florida” series.

History:
In Port St. Lucie, FL, there's a big oak in a county park on the C-24 Canal that has an evil reputation. It is the Devil's Tree, an old oak tree located in Oak Hammock Park, a place frequented mostly by local fishermen who use the boat-launching facilities.

The story begins on January 8, 1971, long before Hammock Park was built, when a serial killer named Gerard John Schaefer molested and mutilated two teenage girls and hanged them from the oak tree. The psycho killer, a former Broward County police officer, then buried his two victims in a shallow grave beneath the oak. Allegedly, the crazed killer returned on several occasions to have his way with the remains.

In January 1977, almost 6 years to the day of the heinous crime, two men found the girls' skeletons, along with two deteriorating ropes tied in a hangman's noose. Ever since then, there have been reports of hooded satanic worshippers dancing around the tree, and some say that you can still hear the screams of the girls. One allegation has it that before the park was built, there were several attempts to cut down the oak, but it seems that chain saws refused to work when near the tree. When men tried to cut it down with a two-man crosscut saw, all the teeth fell out of the blade. One of the men finally went at it with an axe, only to have the handle snap in two. Needless to say, the tree is still standing in a small open area down a nature trail.

Witnesses claim that the women's restroom at Oak Hammock Park is haunted by the dead girls. It said that strange screams have been heard from the restroom and that doors slam shut. Supposedly, there are cold spots in certain areas of the park. There were so many reports about devil worshipping going on around the Devil’s Tree that in 1992, a priest performed an exorcism and placed a cross at the base of the oak, which has since been lost. A few years ago there were some instances where the sheriff department responded to some kind of satanic activity going on in the park. There are orbs and ectoplasm pictures that have been taken in the parking lot, and many reports of cameras malfunctioning when attempting to take a picture of the tree and its surrounding area.

Footnote:
In 1995, Gerard John Schaefer was stabbed to death in prison.

I tried placing this box on three separate occasions before I was successful. The first attempt, we lost the directions and couldn't find it. The second time we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the interstate and it got too late. The thrid time, our vehicle got a flat tire and we couldn't continue. I do believe there is something very spooky about this place. I would love to hear about it if you have difficulty as well!

Clues:
I will eventually make this whole section a link to a webpage with photo clues. In the meantime, email me with your real email address and I will send you a word doc file containing the clues.