Zachary Taylor Oak - Rockport, TX - Historic Trees on Waymarking.com

In 1845, Zachary Taylor was a Brigadier General. He would eventually earn rank as Major General during the Mexican-American War. By March 1849 Taylor would be elected the 12th President of the United States, but would die unexpectedly in July 1850, only 16 months into his term of office. In his troops as junior officers just out of West Point were men who would distinguish themselves and become famous forever due to the American Civil War. One of these 2nd LTs was Ulysses S. Grant, who would become the 18th US President. The other notable 2nd LTs were Robert E. Lee, William Sherman, and Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson.
These men camped around this tree as well, and earned their experience in battle and advanced in rank while fighting the Mexican Army and guarding the Rio Grande River as the boundary between Mexico and Texas during the Mexican-American War from 1846 through 1848.

The Zachary Taylor Arboretum Park was damaged during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Old photos show a gazebo used to stand on what is now a large block of concrete. The Zachary Taylor Oak suffered the loss of a large limb which altered its general appearance. The limb is still lying on the ground next to the tree at the time of this writing. There are several large, healthy limbs that survived and in general the tree appears to be stable and growing. As an arboretum, the park does contain at least ten other kinds of trees. These diverse trees are planted through out the park and a name and information plaque is installed next to each of the trees. In another 50 years, this park will be a beautiful display of a mature grove of mixed cultivars.

The park is found at the intersection of E. Bay Street and S. Pearl Street. The official street address is: 702 E. Bay Street, Rockport, TX 78382.


A historic account of events related to the Zachary Taylor Oak:
(visit link)

Estimated age of the Zachary Taylor Oak:
(visit link)

Website: [Web Link] Historic Event: Zachery Taylor became the hero of the Mexican-American War. He used his popularity to become the 12th President of the United States. He was promoted to Major General as a result of his war efforts here in Texas and in Mexico. The first US flag (the Stars and Stripes) was planted on a sandy hill near this encampment and was the first US flag to fly over Texas soil. Taylor was ordered to use US Army troops to guard the Rio Grande River border and keep Mexicans from entering into Texas and the US! This was concurrent to Texas being granted Statehood into the US. Many of his junior officers who camped by this tree later became Generals during the American Civil War. Year: 1845 Species: Live Oak Approximate Age: 500 Location: Zachary Taylor Arboretum Park, 702 E Bay St., Rockport, TX

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/02/2023 WalksfarTX visited it 02/02/2019 WayBetterFinder visited it

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