The Boyington Oak Tree | Encore Episode

This encore episode of Southern Gothic recounts the haunting true story of Charles Boynton, a young printer from Connecticut who was wrongfully convicted and executed in 1835 for the murder of his friend Nathaniel Frost in Mobile, Alabama. The episode weaves together historical details, folklore, and modern investigations to explore the tragic life of Boynton, his romantic entanglement with Rose DeFleur, his fall from grace after losing his job and turning to gambling, and the circumstances surrounding Frost’s murder beneath a chinkapin tree in the Church Street Cemetery. Despite his public declaration of innocence on the gallows—vowing that an oak tree with a hundred roots would grow from his grave—the execution was botched, and Boynton was buried in a forgotten corner of the cemetery. Centuries later, a massive live oak tree stands at that very site, fueling the enduring legend that Boynton was innocent. The episode examines conflicting accounts, including a purported confession by the boarding house owner William George and another by a woman named Florence White, though neither has been verified. The story ends with a reflection on how the tree itself has become a symbol of justice denied and the power of myth to outlive truth. The narrative is framed by atmospheric storytelling and layered with Southern Gothic themes of fate, memory, and the supernatural.