Live Oaks and Naval Ship Timbers
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 30° 21.896 W 087° 07.900
16R E 487347 N 3359231
Located at the entrance to the Gulf Islands National Seashore-Naval Live Oaks visitor center on US 98.
Waymark Code: WMY8EA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/09/2018
Views: 1
This is the site of the first federal tree farm in the United States. Live oaks were once valued for their superior shipbuilding qualities. The U.S.S. Constellation and U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides), both launched in 1797, were built of live oak (using c.160 and 460 trees respectively). Timber theft led to congressional acts in 1817 and 1822 for the purpose of supplying timber for the United States Navy, These acts prohibited sale of public lands containing live oaks. An 1826 report to the Secretary of the Navy claimed two million cubic feet of live oak had been stolen from the South Atlantic Coast, probably "consumed abroad." This resulted in the Timber Trespass Act of 1827, authorizing penalties for timber theft and the establishment of a live oak plantation. In 1828, President John Q. Adams introduced a congressional resolution establishing this site for the plantation and appointed West Florida District Judge Henry Marie Brackenridge superintendent. Brackenridge studied live oak history and began growing live oaks here. Some 1,300 acres of the original live oak reservation are now preserved by the National Park Service as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Marker Number: F-642
Date: 2008
County: Santa Rosa
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The Florida Society of American Foresters and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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