Near the end of “The Shawshank Redemption,” Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, sits under a stately oak tree to read a letter from his friend, Andy, played by Tim Robbins.

“Remember, Red,” the letter said. “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

The oak had remained one of the enduring images from the 1994 prison-escape film. Fans had flocked by the thousands every year to the tree, which stood in a private field in Lucas, Ohio, about halfway between Columbus and Cleveland. Now, many are grieving after heavy winds knocked over the oak on Friday.