Contact Information
Our Goals:
Planting and caring for urban trees to create healthier, more beautiful communities
Preserving the historic trees of Texas
Promoting the regional and global benefits of trees
Activities and Projects
- Foster-A-Legacy Tree
- Volunteer Conservation Project
- Tree plantings & Invasive Species Management
- Festivals and educational events
Historical Trees of Texas
Baptist Oaks
Baptist Oaks
In 1849, early settlers met under the Baptist Oak in Goliad to coordinate the first Baptist church west of the Guadalupe River. The torn limb depicted in the picture occurred in 2011 when a large vehicle struck the tree. Though the tree has endured multiple damaging incidents, it continues to stand strong.
Battle Oaks
Battle Oaks
The Three Battle Oak trees are all that remain of a once larger oak grove that existed during establishment of the original University of Texas campus. According to legend, these trees survived Civil War troops collecting the grove’s wood to build a fortress in 1883 to protect the Texas Capitol. The trees were threatened again in 1923 by the planned expansion of the University of Texas. Fortunately, a faculty member named Dr. William Battle saved the trees from the axe and they now bear his name.
Borden Oak
Borden Oak
After the Great Storm of Galveston in 1900 prompted raising the entire island, Thomas Henry Borden ensured the protection of the Borden Oak by constructing a dike around the tree to keep out any salt fill. After completion of the grading, the hole was filled with fresh soil and water. The tree’s base now stands approximately 5 feet below ground level.
Century Tree
Century Tree
Dating back to the early 1900s, the Century Tree resides on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Countless marriage proposals and weddings held under its canopy give rise to an Aggie legend that if you walk underneath the tree with someone you are dating, you will remain together forever.
Choctaw Robinson Oak
Choctaw Robinson Oak
Choctaw Bill, one of the first settlers in Hazel Dell, preached to the Choctaw Indians under the Choctaw Robinson Oak for hours on end. The shady tree was conveniently located across from a saloon and post office, ensuring that the preacher had a regular audience.
Church Oak
Church Oak
Much of the history of the Church Oak has been lost over the years, except for a concrete marker placed in 1917 inscribed with the words, “Folklore says that here, in the dawn of Texas history, stood an Indian Village in which one of the early missionaries lingered many days; that here a vision of the chief’s daughter freed the first German in Texas. Tradition says that under this tree, mass was offered by the Abbe Em Domenech in 1849.”
Courthouse Cedar
Courthouse Cedar
Colonel Harvey Mitchell, known as the Father of Brazos County, dug up a small cedar sapling from the banks of the Navasota River in 1854 and moved it to the grounds of a new courthouse in Boonville. Over the years, the tree was moved to three other courthouses before finding a permanent location in 1870 at the Brazos County Courthouse in Bryan.
Deaf Smith Oak
Deaf Smith Oak
In the early 1800s, during Texas’ fight for independence from Mexico, frontiersman and military spy Erastus “Deaf” Smith climbed the Deaf Smith Oak to scout Mexican troops moving into the Cibolo Creek area. Smith suffered permanent hearing loss because of a childhood disease. Despite this difficulty, he achieved success and became a role model for the hearing impaired.
Hero Tree
Hero Tree
When Texas Air National Guard Captain Gary Herod’s plane stalled over Meyerland in 1961, he guided the disabled plane away from a heavily populated subdivision to an open field and fatally crashed. Because of Herod’s actions, there were no other casualties that day. The City of Meyerland dedicated a tree in his honor, but in 2018 the tree developed crown rot and had to be removed. Sprouts from the tree were gathered and are now part of Precinct 4’s historical tree collection.
Kissing Oak
Kissing Oak
Just a block down from the Log Cabin Oak in San Marcos stands the Kissing Oak. The tree is named for Senator Sam Houston’s gesture of kissing women supporters at the end of his gubernatorial speeches during his race against Hardin R. Runnels.
Kissing Oak
Kissing Tree
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, couples would “spark” (hug and kiss) under the old oak tree on the corner of T.C. Jester Boulevard and Louetta Road in Klein. The “kissing tree” became a landmark on the farm of Prussian immigrant Hermann Strack, one of the first settlers in the area. When a convenience store purchased the property and planned to uproot the 150-year-old tree, a grassroots community effort brought the issue to the attention of Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle. Precinct 4 prevented the tree’s destruction and purchased the surrounding four acres to create Kissing Tree Park.
Kyle Auction Oak
Kyle Auction Oak
In 1880, property owner and state representative Fergus Kyle, along with the family of David Moore, donated 200 acres of land to the International-Great Northern Railroad to build a station between Austin and San Marcos. An auction held under the Kyle Auction Oak sold the remaining lots to businesses and residents in what would become the booming town of Kyle.
Liberty Courthouse Oak
Liberty Courthouse Oak
The Liberty Courthouse Oak adorns the corner of the courthouse square in Liberty. The tree has been a fixture throughout Liberty’s history, standing alongside seven courthouses, two presidents of the Republic of Texas, and numerous political speeches.
Log Cabin Oaks
Log Cabin Oaks
The Log Cabin Oaks are remnants of the area where a log cabin was located that served as a school and community center for early settlers and later as Hays County’s first courthouse. In 1874, a large fire destroyed the cabin and damaged many of the oaks in the grove.
Century Tree
Masonic Oaks
In March 1835, five Master Masons including Anson Jones, who would later become the first Grand Master of Texas Masonic Lodges and the third president of the Republic of Texas, gathered under the Masonic Oak in Brazoria to organize the first Masonic Order of Texas.
Old Evergreen Tree
Old Evergreen Tree
Located in Lee County’s earliest settlement, the Old Evergreen Tree was once the hub of the town of Evergreen when the community was a railway stop between Austin and Houston. One of the earliest known visitors to the tree was the French-Canadian explorer Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, who surveyed El Camino Real that is now State Highway 21.
Panna Maria Oaks
Panna Maria Oaks
After Polish immigrants endured hardship sailing and trekking through harsh land for several weeks, they held their first mass under the Panna Maria Oaks in Karnes County. It became the site of the first Polish church in the United States.
Ranger Oaks
Ranger Oaks
This oak grove in Seguin provided a sheltered campground to the original Texas Rangers as they defended the new Texas Republic from Mexican and Comanche attacks. The company, led by John Coffee “Jack” Hays, Captain Mathew Caldwell, and James Hughes Callahan, formed the Gonzales-Seguin Rangers in 1839.
Runaway Scrape Oak
Runaway Scrape Oak
Also known as the Sam Houston Oak, the Runaway Scrape Oak in Gonzales County was previously named for the flight of settlers following defeat at the Alamo. General Sam Houston stood under this oak and ordered an evacuation as the Mexican army was closing in, just 46 days away from the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.
Treaty Oak
Treaty Oak
Known as the Father of the Forest by Native Americans, the Treaty Oak is a unique icon recognized by settlers, historians, and arborists for its massive spreading crown and as the site of special worship ceremonies. The tree existed before Stephen F. Austin signed the first boundary agreement with natives, endured development in the 1920s, and narrowly survived being poisoned by a vandal in 1989.
Wiemers Oak
Wiemers Oak
Named for John Weimers and his wife, the Weimers Oak was the site of many Methodist Episcopal church services and conversions. Weimers later donated land near the tree to construct a larger church building for the growing congregation.
Activities and Projects
- Foster-A-Legacy Tree
- Orchard beautification
- Tree plantings
- Festivals and educational events
- Precinct 4 GeoChallenge and Trails As Parks Passport Series
Our Goals:
Planting and caring for urban trees to create healthier, more beautiful communities
Preserving the historic trees of Texas
Promoting the regional and global benefits of trees
HOW TREES HELP
Your Comfort
Trees reduce temperatures up to 20°F and also provide skin protection.
Your Healing
Patients after surgery have faster recovery times with a scenic tree view.
Your Nutrition
Fruit & nuts from trees contain antioxidants and healthy fats.
Your Growth
Children who are raised around trees are healthier.
The Environment
Trees preserve wildlife habitat, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the urban heat island effect and noise pollution.
Social Environments
Trees beautify neighborhoods, improve mental health, and reduce crime rates.
Your Lungs
Trees help provide clean air.
The Economy
Trees increase business value, home value, and conserve energy.