Site of the ORIGINAL Burkett Pecan Tree - Putnam, TX
N 32° 22.687 W 099° 09.674
14S E 484832 N 3582360
A 1966 Texas Historical Marker stands at the site of a notable tree, the Burkett Pecan Tree, whose pecans were prized, and those from its descendants are still popular in this area. Unfortunately, the tree is no longer with us.
Waymark Code: WM12C5E
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2020
Views: 1
The historical marker notes that the tree was a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and it provides a sound byte:
The original Burkett Pecan Tree, bred from a native tree, 1900, by J.H. Burkett (1861-1945), Texas pecan industry leader.
This notable tree stood here, protected by an enclosure, near the dead end of the I-20 service drive about two miles east of Putnam. Lightning struck it in the 1990s, and Mother Nature then went to work on finishing the job, resulting in its removal in 1994. Nothing was left behind, and for a good reason: The wood was kept for family members for use as mementos for whatever project they liked. One family made a sign/bench, while another made a pen. Some of the tree's descendants are still with us, most notably in Clyde, a few miles to the west. The historical marker was removed by the Callahan County Historical Commission, but presumably, restored here at some point as a sign of history.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has some good reading (see URL) about the tree and its history, but the basics aren't difficult to find. The tree from which grafts were made to produce this tree was destroyed around 1910. In 1900, brothers Joe and Omar Burkett were hunting along Battle Fish Creek, and they collected some pecans. Upon their return home, their father, John, noted their quality and encouraged the boys to find the parent tree. They did, and Mr. Burkett needed a couple of tries before achieving success in 1903.
The Burkett Family has a really nice website, and one of their newsletters has some great reading about the tree, with articles written during its heyday, and some written about its demise.
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