Three trees are listed as Heritage Trees in Bastrop County – one each in Elgin, McDade and Smithville. However, the Lost Pines region is home to the unique 13 mile stretch of over 6,000 acres of loblolly pines growing over a hundred miles from their East Texas counterparts. Read more about the Lost Pines ecosystem.
Stephen F. Austin Live Oak
Elgin, Texas
Bastrop County Historical Commission files
This live oak is in front of Elgin City Hall (Block 55, Lots 5 & 6), which was formerly the home of the Nofsinger family. Kentucky native I. B. Nofsinger (1864 – 1938) came to Texas at 20, taught school, then returned home to study medicine. He practiced in McDade before moving here. In 1906, he and his wife Mary (d. 1934) built this brick house with Queen Anne details and a corner tower. The home remained in their family until 1978 and was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1982.
Next to the tree is a plaque which reads, “Oak tree (Quercus virginiana) grown from an acorn collected from a Live Oak in Brazoria County, Texas at the site of the death of Stephen Fuller Austin, ‘Father of Texas.’ This tree was grown in a Texas Forest Service nursery facility until it was ready for planting at this site to honor Stephen F. Austin.
“This tree was a gift of the Texas Forest Service and the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Planted at Elgin City Hall on Arbor Day, April 27, 2001”.
Ancient Oak
McDade, Texas
By Audrey Rother, Bastrop County Historical Commission member
This ancient oak is located on Austin Street in downtown McDade in lot 18 of Block 8. The town of McDade was established when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad Company reached this location in September of 1871, after that the lots began to sell. Mr. William S. Rice, of Rice Institute bought lot 18 in Block 8, but Rice Institute chose Houston, Texas instead of McDade.
This tree was huge in 1871 and offered a giant umbrella of shade because the early settlers tied their mules and wagons under this tree while they traded and visited in town, thus this lot became known as the “Mule Lot.” Mr. Jack Ross, an early settler here, is known to have tied his mules here taking advantage of the shade as long as he was in town and sometimes that was all day long.
Mrs. Zina (Gladys) Jones and her parents lived on the lot beside this tree. One morning Gladys, age 3, looked out her window to see a man hanging from one of the branches.
A group of specialists from the University of Texas inspected the tree for Oak Wilt. It had none. The tree was estimated to be 350-400 years old at that time. The specialists noted a very unusual plant growing beneath known as Mandrake. This plant is a perennial herb which sends up umbrella shaped leaves and the creeping rootstock has been used in medicines.
Smithville Mighty Oak
Smithville, Texas
Summarized from article by Carol Snyder, former Bastrop County Historical Commission member
This oak stands on Burleson Street in downtown Smithville near Loop 230. 230 (Block 25, Lot 7). Smithville was founded by Thomas Gazley, who settled nearby in 1827 and contributed to and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and the first Texas Constitution.
Peaceful Tonkawa and Lipan Indians lived in the area, teaching settlers about farming and hunting buffalo. The region, known as “buffalo crossing,” was a frequent crossing point for buffalo over the Colorado River at Gazley Creek. According to the Smithville Times (1995), John Fawcett shot and skinned the last buffalo seen near Smithville in 1846.
Local lore suggests this tree and others nearby were used by Indians to corral their horses using ropes. Today, the oak provides shade and beauty. The residents valued it so much they left it standing when plotting streets in the late 1800s.