MISSOURI CITY, Texas – Nestled between Misty Hollow Drive between Glenn Lakes and Lake Olympia boulevards is a live oak tree that serves more than a beautiful backdrop.
It’s called Freedom Tree and marks a significant chapter in U.S. and Texas history.
According to the Missouri City historic page, the live oak tree dates back to the Civil War. Under its branches is where slaves on the Palmer Plantation were brought together and found out that they were now free. They were told they could continue to work and live on the land if they wanted to, but the only wages they would receive is a share of their crop.
It’s listed on the National Registry of Historic Trees. Even though it’s in the middle of the neighborhood, there are people who still don’t know about it.
"It's kind of a shame that I didn't know about it, I have to be honest, I taught history forever and a day but I had never heard of that particular tree,” said Jerry Mills, who has lived in the area for about 25 years. “Our young people need to know about this type of thing and as I said before, when I leave here I'm going to my son to look by there so he can take a look at it and we can learn that part of the history together."
Missouri City has a Juneteenth celebration every year, but people don’t have to wait till the summer to learn about their roots.
"Freedom Tree is a huge part of the history of this community and it's nice to see it get highlighted for Black History Month and just know there's a lot of pride in this community and a lot of pride in the freedom tree," said Cory Stottlemyer, a spokesperson for the city.
He said members with the Parks and Recreation Department take care of the tree once a week. Because the tree is old and the branches are heavy, some of the branches have supports on them.
To read more about The Freedom Tree, click here.