Treaty Oak, 1960’s

This 200 plus year old Live Oak on the Southbank of the St. Johns River sits on land that in the early 1900’s was home to Jacksonville’s Dixieland Park. The tree was named Treaty Oak in the 1930’s after a fictitious story was written by The Florida Times-Union writer Pat Moran about settlers and indians signing peace treaties under it. It was part of an effort by Moran and the Garden Club of Jacksonville to discourage it’s removal for development. The property containing the tree was purchased around 1934 by Jessie duPont and the Alfred I. duPont Foundation which donated it to the city of Jacksonville in 1964, around the time this photograph was taken. The 7 acres of land with the tree as it’s centerpiece is now Jessie Ball duPont Park, a green space surrounded by commercial buildings, parking lots and the approach to the Main Street Bridge.

Tags: 12374, historic photography, Jessie Ball duPont, Live Oak, park, southbank, Treaty Oak, tree, vintage photograph