Battle Oaks - Austin, TX - Historic Trees on Waymarking.com

The three trees of the original Battle Oak grove that have survived and remain with us today are surrounding the statue of Barbara Jordan on the University of Texas campus in downtown Austin, TX. They are at 307 24th Street, Austin, TX, between Guadalupe St. and Whitis Ave. (Lots of luck finding parking anywhere close by, so be prepared to walk ... just sayin' ...)

There was no gunfight or skirmish with Indians or Civil War engagement here. The name Battle Oaks comes from the man's name who saved these trees from destruction. Dr. William James Battle was the chairman of the Faculty Building Committee in 1923 when he originally proposed to build a biology laboratory at this location, which would have destroyed the trees. After conferring with piers, like Judge Robert Batts, a UT law professor who threatened to protest with a shotgun if need be, Dr. Battle saw the wisdom of moving the laboratory elsewhere on the 40 acre campus. In the end, Dr. Battle convinced the Board of Regents to build in a different location and was able to save the trees.

This was not the first time these same trees were threatened with being cut down. During the Civil War (1861-1864) when news that Federal troops were marching from Galveston to Austin, the Confederates rallied to build a wooden fortress around the State Capital and cut down most of the oak grove that was originally here. These three trees somehow survived and were left whole. These same Live oaks were here in 1883 when the the UT campus first opened and have stayed in place to this day.

References:
"Famous Trees of Texas," Texas A&M Forest Service Centennial Edition, 2015, by Gretchen Riley and Peter D. Smith.

Website: [Web Link] Historic Event: These trees survived the Civil War in the 1860's when the rest of the oak tree grove was cut down to build a fortress around the State Capital. These three trees were present and part of the original 40 acres of land used to start the University of Texas in 1883 and they survived a plan, in 1923, to build a biology building where they are growing but the chairman of the committee, Dr. Battle, got the Board of Regents to relocate the building and thus saved the trees. It is this man's name by which these trees are now known: The Battle Oaks. Year: 1923 Species: Texas Live Oaks Approximate Age: 300 Location: Austin, TX at 307 W. 24th Street, between Guadalupe St and Whitis Ave.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/02/2018 WayBetterFinder visited it