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The Live
Oak Story The practice
of using live oak in shipbuilding was well established in America by 1700.
Early famous live oak vessels include the Hancock, an American
revolutionary privateer , and the USS Constitution and Constellation,
built in the 1790's. The Constitution saw action against the British
during the war of 1812, receiving the nickname "Old Ironsides"
due to the strength of its live oak construction. To ensure a future supply
of the
With the development of the ironclad warship during the mid nineteenth century, the live oaks lost their importance to defense, but serve today as part of a southeastern forest community preserved by the National Park Service. Back to Top |
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Last Updated:
1/6/03
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invaluable
live oak, the United States Government reserved thousands of acres of
southern woodlands to protect the tree from timber interests. The need
for wooden ship timber diminished with the advent of iron and steel warships.
However, in 1926 live oak timbers from the Pensacola area were found to
be useful in the restoration of the USS Constitution, a National
Monument. Today, as a reminder of the importance of live oak to our heritage,
its story is told at Gulf Islands National Seashore.
In
1828, the United States purchased the land which comprises the present
Naval Live Oaks Area, with the goal of reserving its valuable timber resources
for ship building. President John Quincy Adams authorized the establishment
of the first, and only, federal tree farm on this site, beginning operations
January 18, 1829. Superintendent Henry Marie Brackenridge (pictured left),
who lived on the tree farm, experimented with cultivating the live oak
tree. He was perhaps our country's first federal forester.
