Naval Live Oaks Reservation

The Naval Live Oaks Reservation (also known as Deer Point Live Oaks Reservation or Deer Point Plantation) is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and is near Gulf Breeze, Florida. It was purchased by U.S. government in [2] 1828 as the first and only federal tree farm and began operations January 18, 1829. It serves today as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore forest community preserved by the National Park Service on January 8, 1971, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1998.

Naval Live Oaks Reservation
LocationSanta Rosa County, Florida
Nearest cityGulf Breeze, Florida
Coordinates30°21′51″N 87°7′51″W
Area1,300 acres (5.3 km²)
Visitation1,689,400 (2005)
MPSArcheological Properties of the Naval Live Oaks Reservation MPS
NRHP reference No.98001169[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 28, 1998

History

The land which comprises the present Naval Live Oaks Area was purchased with the goal of reserving the valuable live oaks resources for shipbuilders. President John Quincy Adams is credited for the authorization to establish this federal tree farm. Superintendent Henry Marie Brackenridge, who lived on the tree farm, experimented with cultivating the live oak tree. He was perhaps the United States' first federal forester.[2]

The practice of using live oaks in shipbuilding was well established in America by 1700. Early famous live oak vessels include the USS Hancock (1776), an American revolutionary privateer, and the USS Constitution (1797) and USS Constellation (1797). The USS 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. 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.

Currently, the land comprises over 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) in Gulf Islands National Seashore and is owned by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. U.S. Route 98 goes through the southern portion of the land. To the south of Highway 98 is a visitor's center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore and some public beach areas. On the north side there is one picnic area with a trail to a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay. There are trails throughout the park.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "The Live Oak Story". Gulf Islands National Seashore. National Park Service. Retrieved 29 April 2016.

Media related to Naval Live Oaks Reservation at Wikimedia Commons

  • Highway 98 going through the Naval Live Oaks.
  • View from the top of the bluff in the Naval Live Oaks, looking south on the rest of the reservation.


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