Black Heritage Tree Map
Living Witnesses to a Hidden History
Black Heritage Trees is a living tribute to the history, strength, and spirit of Black communities. These trees—found in places like Tulsa, Houston, Galveston, and St. Croix—have stood through generations of struggle and hope. Some are Witness Trees, silent observers of injustice, resistance, and loss. Others are Spirit Trees, offering comfort and inspiration in the face of hardship. Together, they tell powerful stories rooted in the land. This project honors those stories—and the people behind them—through history, memory, and place.
Number of Black Heritage Trees Identified
105
Number of Black Heritage Trees Mapped
10
Number of Tree Stories Collected
9
Number of Black Heritage Trees In Need of Conservation
2
Number of Black Heritage Trees with Historical Markers/Monuments
2
Featured Tree Stories
Greenwood Legacy Tree
The Greenwood Legacy Tree is one of Tulsa’s most important living witnesses to the past. Located in the Historic Greenwood District on the grounds of Carver Middle School, this American Elm tree has stood for over a century, weathering fire, ice, storms, disease, and even violence. We believe that, contrary…
Grove Place Baobab Tree
The Grove Place Baobab on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is no ordinary tree—it’s a living monument that has witnessed nearly three centuries of Virgin Islands history. Planted around 1750 this majestic baobab has stood through slavery in the Danish West Indies, the 1848…
Jack the Giant Tree Sculpture
On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston Island as a Category 4 storm—covering most of the island in 15 feet of saltwater, claiming at least 59 lives, causing $29 billion in damage, and destroying 40,000 trees. In Galveston’s predominantly Black Historic East End, many of the surviving trees…
STORY OF THE “CAN’T SEE TREE” AT THE PATTON PLANTATION IN BRAZORIA COUNTY
In 1865, there was an old live oak tree growing on the Patton Plantation near Varner Creek just up from its mouth on the Brazos River, deep in the heart of Texas’s Low Country in Brazoria County, where Sugar Cane grew twenty feet tall. This plantation is now called Varner-Hogg….
THE BRITTON OAKS & THE 1867 SETTLEMENT
THE BRITTON OAKS & THE 1867 SETTLEMENT The Britton Oaks stand as a living testament to strength, resilience, and survival rooted in the founding of The Settlement in Texas City—the only land designated for purchase by freedmen after slavery in Galveston County, Texas. These oaks rise on land once owned…
The Domino Tree
Domino tree at the corner of Bell and Mentor in Galveston county in the 1867 Settlement. Under this tree older Black men in the community have been gathering for generations to play games, talk, laugh, make deals, discuss neighborhood issues, and experience joy often denied to Black men as they…
The Freedom Tree
The Freedom Tree in Missouri City, Texas. It was under this live oak tree that General Gordon Granger’s troops (most of whom were mounted Black Union soldiers) rode into Galveston to announce and enforce General Order #3. This order was issued by Union General Gordon Granger, on June 19, 1865…
The Story of the Estate Bethlehem Tamarind Tree
The Bethlehem Tamarind tree is believed to date back to the era slavery and marks a historic cemetery that marks the burial plots of those once enslaved on the plantation. Preliminary survey of the Tamarind Tree conducted in 1997 revealed several potential archaeological features, prompting archaeologists to revisit the site….
The Story of the Estate Mount Victory Kapok Tree
The Kapok Tree at Estate Mount Victory served as a historic herbal shrine and was tended by local medicine man John Dubois during the 1940s and 1950s. He was said to dispense herbs and performed cures at the base of the tree. After Dubois’ time, the shrine fell into disrepair…