|
|
|
Evergreen doesn't
have a sign to announce it. There's nothing to tell you that it
was the oldest community in Lee County. The only reference is a
metal sign on a gate to the Evergreen Cemetery.
|
|
|
The
Evergreen "Hanging" Tree
TE photo, 2001 |
|
|
The
historical marker in front of the tree
TE photo, 2001 |
|
The massive
Live Oak above has earned its title of "Hanging Tree" according
to locals, but we have been unable to uncover any specific executions.
Bill
Longley, Lee County's most infamous black sheep was hanged twice,
but neither time was on this particular Quercus virginiana. Bill
loved Evergreen and even wrote about it from prison. You might say
he pined for Evergreen.
Evergreen had a calming effect on Bill (click here for Bill
Longley Doesn't Get Along Well With Others).and he proved it
by farming and chopping the cotton of relatives when he wasn't shooting
people. The bright lights and brandy of Giddings
were just too close to Evergreen for Bill to settle down.
Officially,
Evergreen is now part of Lincoln. The present Lincoln
Postmaster grew up in Evergreen and told us he still has some
.50 caliber lead slugs that he and friends found while playing around
the tree as boys.
|
|
|
The
oldest house left in Evergreen awaits relocation
TE photo, 2001 |
|
Recently, the
house you see here was donated to a historical group to be moved
and restored. The historical marker in front of the tree states
that the Live Oak is believed to have sheltered Louis de St. Denis
who was the surveyor of El Camino Real. His visit would have occurred
in 1713.
In 1836 Sam
Houston was passing through the area and became stuck in the mud
according to legend. He spent the night in the Stockman Hotel, which
stood next to the tree.
The town was laid out in 1856 and the town prospered until like
many towns, it was by-passed by the railroad in 1870. This time
it was the Houston and Texas Central that went East -West through
Giddings. What could be worse?
How about being by-passed by two railroads? In 1890 The San Antonio
and Aransas Pass (SAAP) went through Lincoln (South-North) and the
last holdouts in Evergreen gave up and moved there.
The gate to
the Evergreen Cemetery is on the west side of FM 1624, opposite
the tree.
Book Your Hotel Here & Save
Giddings
Hotels >
More
Hotels >
Related Articles:
Bill
Longley Does Not Get Along Well With Others - A Visit to the Giddings
City Cemetery
Bill
Longley Down and Out in a Nacogdoches Jail by Archie P. McDonald
|
Evergreen
Texas Forum
To share
stories, memories or historic photos of Evergreen, Texas, please contact
us.
© John Troesser
Sources: A History of Lee County by the Lee County Historical Survey
Committee, Nortex, 1974. Famous Trees of Texas, Published by the Texas
Forest Service (A&M University), 1970 Interview with Lincoln Postmaster,
January, 8th, 2001. |
|
|
