Old Evergreen Tree - Lincoln, TX - Historic Trees on Waymarking.com

This thick trunked and thick branched oak makes one wonder just how long this tree has been growing here! The smallest unit to use is "century" and you will need multiple centuries to estimate its age. The historical marker under its canopy of branches begins by referencing 1714 as the first date of historical significance to Western civilization, but this tree had to have been a large tree even then. The deception of this Old Evergreen Tree is that its canopy is not that wide when compared to the largest oak, The Big Tree, near Rockport, TX in the Goose Island State Park or even the 2nd largest oak tree in Austin's Central Park along Lamar Blvd.

The Old Evergreen Tree is on the southern edge of Lincoln, TX. It is along the north side of FM 1624 about half way between SH-21 and SH-77. It is where some industrial buildings and farming equipment are located. The stretch of FM 1624 is right at 1 mile between its connections with SH-21 and SH-77 and since the tree is halfway between these two highways, it is easy to find.

In the 2012 book "Livings Witness: Historic Trees of Texas" the authors commented that In 1714 when the French-Canadian explorer Captain Louis Juchereau de St. Denis stopped to rest on his journey St. Denis described it a huge oak even then. He was trying to develop trade with the Spanish colonies in Texas. Keep in mind that central Texas was more a prairie grassland 300 years ago, so there weren't nearly as many (very few actually) trees around, much less huge ones. From its size as of this posting, it is easy to believe that it as a very large tree even when it was 300 years younger.

Website: [Web Link] Historic Event: In 1714, French-Canadian explorer Captain Louis Juchereau de St. Denis stopped to rest under "a huge oak tree." St. Denis was trying to establish trade between the Spanish colonies along the Rio Grande. He probably was traveling along the El Camino Real or Kings Highway that is basically the path of SH-21 in this part of Texas. This tree gives all the signs of being an ancient oak and was a mature tree even in the early 1700's. Year: 1714 Species: Live Oak Approximate Age: 400 Location: On FM 1624, half way between SH-21 and SH-77

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/02/2018 WayBetterFinder visited it