Courthouse Cedar - Bryan, TX - Historic Trees on Waymarking.com

The easiest way to explain the history of this cedar tree's relationship with Brazos County Courthouses is to simplify the dates and locations of the various courthouses into a chronological listing and then show when the tree moved in relation to the progression of the courthouse moves.

1841:
Joseph Ferguson lived in a log cabin near the Navasota River. A cedar tree berry sprouted and begin growing near to the cabin. That same year what became Brazos County was officially formed by the Republic of Texas' congress. As it turned out, Ferguson's cabin served a dual purpose as both his home and as the county's first district courthouse. The cedar tree was in its infancy.

1846:
Outgrowing Ferguson's cabin, a one-story wood framed building was erected in Boonville which was more in the middle of Brazos County. The cedar tree was left behind and continued to grow in its birthplace by the old cabin.

1854:
Apparently the residents of the county had worn out the 1846 building, so they built a two-story wood framed building as the third County Courthouse in Boonville. This time, Colonel Harvey Mitchell decided to landscape around this courthouse, and he transplanted the sapling cedar tree as part of the improvements to this newly built county seat.

1870:
Because the local railroad had bypassed Boonville and had routed lines to Bryan, TX, it boomed in growth while Boonville's population declined, eventually becoming a ghost town. The fourth Brazos County Courthouse became the first one built on the present location. The Courthouse Cedar was again transplanted again to its present location.

1892:
Because the 1870 building literally was falling apart due to structural weaknesses, it was removed and a grand, stone, multi-story Victorian styled courthouse with a tall central clock tower was built in its place. This courthouse was designed by the popular courthouse designer Eugene Heiner (who also built the still-existing courthouse at Halletsville, TX). The Courthouse Cedar stayed where it was and continued to mature.

1955:
Once the decision was made to rebuild the courthouse, the old Victorian 1892 building was razed in record time, but the clocktower bell and the 1892 cornerstone were saved. The new courthouse was built as very bland big square boxy building that has had several more bland boxy building additions added to it. The Courthouse Cedar is also in a rather bland boxy cube to match the courthouse.

By now this surviver cedar tree has endured multiple transplants and has continued to grow and adapt to the changes of its surroundings. It has lived beside five of the six Brazos County Courthouses, so far. It has been transplanted at least twice. I suspect a third transplantation probably took place to put it in the concrete cube it lives in now. As of this waymark's posting in 2019, this Courthouse Cedar tree would be 178 years old.

References to the Courthouse Cedar Tree:
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History of the Courthouse Cedar:
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Website: [Web Link] Historic Event: This cedar tree has endured 178 years of growing next to the various buildings designated as Brazos County Courthouses. It has been transplanted twice for sure but probably a third time as well. It has survived in place while several older courthouses were demolished and newer courthouses have been rebuilt in the old location, unless it was also transplanted during the rebuilding process and replanted. This is certainly a robust cedar tree that is as old or older than many of the oak trees in the surrounding county. The famous Century Oak on the Texas A&M University campus is 143 years old, so this Courthouse Cedar tree is 35 years older and has endured multiple more building being built around it than has the Century Oak. Year: 1841 Species: Eastern Red Cedar Approximate Age: 178 Location: In front of the Brazos County Courthouse, 300 E 26th St., Bryan TX 77803

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/19/2019 WayBetterFinder visited it