Historic Oak Tree From ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Film Falls Down

The white oak tree made famous in the 1994 film Shawshank Redemption has fallen near Mansfield, Ohio, according to reports on Saturday.

‘Shawshank Redemption’ Oak Tree Falls

The oak tree first appeared near the end of the film, when Morgan Freeman’s character, the paroled prisoner Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, follows clues to the tree’s location.

Once Redding finds the spot he digs up a box buried near the tree, which holds a letter and cash to buy a bus ticket to see Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), an old friend who had escaped from prison and fled to Mexico.

Andy had told Redding while they were still in prison that the tree was where he proposed to his wife.

“Promise me, Red. If you ever get out… find that spot,” Andy pleaded in the scene.

The tree became a popular tourist destination in Ohio, but in 2011, lightning hit the oak and some of the tree was damaged.

Jodie Snavely with the Mansfield & Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau said the rest of the tree fell Friday due to high winds.

“It’s a sad day for Shawshank fans,” Snavely added. “I have had a chance to see the tree and if it’s a stump left, I’m sure people will still come see it because hope is a good thing, and a good thing never dies.”