Menefee Tree - San Antonio, TX
N 29° 26.777 W 098° 28.896
14R E 550274 N 3257543
The decendants of one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independance planted this dedicated tree in 1930.
Waymark Code: WMCV83
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/13/2011
Views: 3
Judge William Menefee was born on May 11, 1796 but moved to Texas in 1830 with his wife and family. He was a practicing lawyer and was active in his community politics. This got him elected as a delegate to conference at Washington-on-the-Brazos where he became a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He was later one of the committee of the Republic of Texas who chose Austin to be the capital of the Republic, as it remains today for the state of Texas. Menefee held many publicly elected offices as a State Representative. He died on October 29, 1875 at 75. His remains are now buried at the State Cemetery in Austin.
This dedicated tree is now a huge oak tree centered within a triangular intersection of E. Ashby, E. Elmira, and River Road north of downtown San Antonio, but close to the Pearl Brewery business area. The marker is a tall gray granite monument that is inscribed with a star surrounded by laural branches above the following text:
"Menefee Tree / in honor of / Judge William Christian Menefee / Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence / Planted in 1930 by R.S. Menefee Sr. and R.S. Todd Menefee Jr. / Monument dedicated by their surviving decendants 2010".
The tree itself is classified as an Escarpment Live Oak (Quercus fusiformas). As of 2012, the measurements of the tree indicated a height of 35 feet, a canopy of 83.6 feet, a diameter of 46 inches, and a circumference of 12 feet. As of 2019, the tree is at least 89 years old and is very good condition.
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