If you live in Jacksonville, you’ve probably visited (or at least heard of) the massive Treaty Oak, but did you know that this gigantic 250-year-old tree was saved by one small lie?
This impressive old oak is over 70 feet tall, with wild branches reaching out almost 150 feet. It’s estimated to be 250 years old.
Flickr/James Willamor
Back in the early 1900s, the land around the tree on the St. Johns River was an amusement park called Dixieland Park.
State Library & Archives of Florida
The tree was called the Giant Oak and was sometimes referred to as the biggest live oak in Florida.
State Library & Archives of Florida
The branches were covered with lights, and it was even used as the background for silent films.
State Library & Archives of Florida
In the 1930s, developers started eyeing the land around the tree. Florida Times-Union journalist Pat Moran devised a story about a treaty between Native Americans and white settlers being signed under the oak, making it a local landmark.
Flickr/stephg67
This story, together with extensive efforts of the Garden Club of Jacksonville, ensured that the magnificent tree was saved.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
The area around the tree is now officially named Jessie Ball duPont Park, in honor of a Garden Club member who donated some of the surrounding land and worked tirelessly to help save the tree.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
The Treaty Oak, however, will probably always keep the misnomer that saved it from destruction.
Will Dickey via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA
Have you ever visited this impressive natural landmark? Did you know about its interesting history?
Flickr/James Willamor
State Library & Archives of Florida
Flickr/stephg67
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Will Dickey via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA
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