Dr. Duffel Oak, Miss Hattie Oak, and the Claiborne Plantation Oak

December 29, 2015January 3, 2020 / williamguion / Leave a comment

Ascension Parish and River Road toward Baton Rouge – Ascension Parish

Dr. Duffel Oak, infrared study 1

This entry continues my historic oak exploration through the Ascension Parish area. While searching for 30-foot plus size trees, I located a few very large oaks with long and interesting histories. And though not quite in the 30-foot circumference category, they are still quite old and beautiful and are worth sharing as part of my longer documentation of the 100 oldest live oaks in Louisiana.

The Dr. Duffel Oak (#2487 on the Live Oak Society registry) is located on the grounds of Mulberry Grove Plantation, just a few miles above Donaldsonville on State Highway 405 (which is the west bank river road in this section of the Mississippi River).

Dr. Duffel Oak, color study 2

Miss Hattie Oak, color study 1

The Dr. Duffel Oak and a younger tree, the Miss Hattie Oak (LOS #2485), are both located at Mulberry Grove and are sponsored by the Noel family, who own and live on the historic plantation grounds. Dr. Duffel is listed as 29’-5” in girth on the LOS registry; my measurement placed it at 26’-3”; Miss Hattie is listed at 26’-3”; my measurement was 24’-10”.

Mulberry Grove was built for Dr. Edward Duffel, a native of Virginia, but a direct descendant on his mother’s side of Acadians from Nova Scotia. Edward was educated at St. Mary’s College in Missouri and graduated from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1833. In addition to being a doctor and a planter, Dr. Duffel was a member of the Louisiana state legislature, a delegate to the LA. state constitutional convention of 1852 and a delegate to the secessionist convention in 1861.

The Dr. Duffel Oak was planted either near the time that the plantation was constructed, around 1836, or possibly it was already growing when the plantation was built—making it approximately 180 to 200 years of age.

Claiborne Plantation Oak, study 1

A bit further up Hwy. 405 toward White Castle, located on the property of Mr. J. M. Evans, is the Claiborne Plantation Oak, #2422 on the LOS registry and originally registered by Mrs. Oscar Evans. When registered, this oak was listed with a girth of 28’-8”; my measurement placed it at 26’-8”. It’s a beautiful sprawling live oak growing in the back of the Evans’ home with views of acres of cow pastures.

Claiborne Plantation Oak, color study 2

According to the wonderful reference book, Along River Road, Past and Present on Louisiana’s Historic Byway, written by Mary Ann Sternberg and published by LSU Press, Claiborne Plantation was named for William C. C. Claiborne, Governor of the Orleans Territory in 1803 (land contained in the Louisiana Purchase). In 1811 Claiborne wrote to Julien Poydras that he had bought a plantation and would become a “plain, simple planter.” Though soon after he was elected as the first governor of the new state of Louisiana (1812), and in 1817 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, but died before taking office.

At 26 feet 8 inches in circumference, the Claiborne Plantation Oak is easily 205 years of age (as old as Claiborne’s purchase of the land) and quite possibly older.

(Next entry: The Governor’s Oak in Baton Rouge )

Ascension Parish – The Martin Oak, the John Hudson Oak

November 4, 2015January 3, 2020 / williamguion / Leave a comment

Ascension Parish and Upper River Road

Ascension Parish has always been a sort of blank spot on my live oak radar. Before I began this 30-something series, I was unaware of the number of live oaks that live there. So, I’ve been surprised and delighted to have located several old and beautiful trees that have led otherwise low-profile lives in this historic parish.

The Martin Oak study 1 – 35' 6" in circumference

The Martin Oak, Gonzales, LA – 37′ 8″ in circumference

I’m not sure if I’ve emphasized enough in my earlier blogs how rare it is that 30-something-foot girth oaks have survived all of the changes that have taken place on the Louisiana landscape in the past 300 years. In her invaluable reference book, Louisiana Live Oak Lore, Ethelyn G. Orso describes the process of “live oaking,” a fairly common practice in the past in which woodsmen would cut live oaks and sell the wood to supply the wooden ship industries of Britain, France, Spain, and the United States.

The Martin Oak trunk and burls

Here’s an excerpt from her book on the subject:

“As early as 1709, shipwrights recognized that the near-impenetrable wood (of the live oak) was perfect for timbers and ‘knees’ for vessels. ‘Knees’ were the angular sections of wood taken from the joints between tree limbs and trunks. Such natural joints were stronger than any artificial joints made by shipwrights, and braced the sides of the ships… For the European governments that controlled Louisiana in that early colonial period, live oak wood was the state’s most prized natural resource.

Having practically deforested the European continent in search of the indispensable oak wood for their fleets, British, French, and Spanish rulers looked with greedy eyes to the vast expanses of live oak forests in the southern parts of what would become the United States. Those European governments that gained control of the part of ‘West Florida’ that today is eastern Louisiana claimed the live oak forests as state-owned resources. That led, by the mid-1770s, to a thriving illicit trade in live oak wood between the inhabitants of the area and whoever would pay for the poached wood. In 1811, after Louisiana had become a part of the United States, Louisiana Governor William C. Claiborne began communicating with the secretary of the navy in Washington, DC, and in 1817 an act was passed giving the president of the U.S. the authority to reserve lands with live oak forests for use by the U.S. Navy.”

It was hard times for large live oaks in those early years of the colony and the oaks that survived the wooden-ship era were still faced with the widespread clearing of lands for farming and ranching as well as eventual urban development. So, when I express respect and even awe at the few oaks that have managed to survive (and flourish in some cases) after 300+ years of cutting and clearing, you can understand why. Now, on to the 30-something oaks of Ascension Parish:

The Martin Oak, vertical view of trunk

The Martin Tree—(See photos above as well) #1405 on the Live Oak Society registry, this tree was registered with a circumference of 34 feet by Ms. Delba E. Martin. She was born in 1906 and passed on in 1995. With help from the Ascension parish assessor’s office, I was able to locate the property that was once owned by Ms. Martin and the tree is still there.

The shape of the tree trunk is similar to the Rebekah Oak and others—it has a very large burled lower trunk that tapers above 5–6 ft. from the ground. Generally, this is above the 4–4.5 ft. line where one would measure the girth, but with trees like this, I take multiple measurements above and below the 4.5 ft. line and make an average measurement. My estimated girth of this oak is approximately 37’-8″ and still growing.

John Hudson Oak, 29'-8" – Prairieville, LA

John Hudson Oak, #6350 – 29′-6″ – Prairieville, LA

The John Hudson Oak is located in Prairieville, LA at the Hudson House, a beautiful historic family home that’s been in the Hudson family for several generations. The John Hudson Oak is the largest and most impressive of numerous live oaks on the grounds. It has a lovely sweeping canopy that reaches to the ground on three sides. Mrs. Ellen Hudson Waller says that several other oaks on her property are Live Oak Society members.

John Hudson Oak, black-and-white study 1

Hudson Oaks; black-and-white infrared study of two other Live Oak Society trees on Hudson property.

The Joseph Romano and Angelle Romano Oaks; Hudson House, Prairieville, LA.

In my next post, I’ll include the rest of the Ascension Parish list of oaks…

Lafayette area – Rebekah Oak and La Belle Colline Oak

November 2, 2015January 3, 2020 / williamguion / Leave a comment

I’ve tracked down some wonderful 30-something oaks since my last blog post. The two oaks in this post are in the Acadiana area and were listed in the Trees Acadiana’s Top 10 oldest oaks list, but were a bit challenging to track down. No one had seen them in decades. The Rebekah Oak in Breaux Bridge was originally registered with the Live Oak Society by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Dermenstein Sr., probably back in the 1960s based on the tree’s low registration number (#681).

Rebekah Oak, color study 5 – 34′ in circumference

When registered, the Rebekah Oak was listed with a girth of 30 ft. Today, the tree is approximately 30′ to 34′ in circumference, though the “bustle” shape of the tree’s trunk below about 5-6 ft. high makes it difficult to get an accurate measurement.

The Rebekah Oak was named after the granddaughter of the original sponsors.
Mr. Dermenstein passed on in 2001 and his wife followed him in 2014. Today, the oak’s caretaker is R.J. Dermenstein Jr. who still lives on the property where the tree is located in Breaux Bridge and could easily be mistaken for Kris Kringle on a Harley Davidson if you didn’t know better.

Rebekah Oak, infrared black and white study 4

The oak appears to have been a “boundary” oak, meaning it served as a dividing marker between two property lines. The fence line between the Dermenstein property and his neighbor’s land runs directly through the Rebekah Oak’s trunk.

The next 30-foot girth tree in the Acadiana area is the La Belle Colline Oak.

I photographed La Belle Colline (in French, the name means “the lovely hill”) about an hour after sunrise in late September. This ancient oak overlooks a lush grassy pasture that slopes slowly away toward a distant line of trees where I could see cows grazing.

True to its name, La Belle Colline offered a beautiful view from beneath its wide-spread limbs toward what I suppose can be considered a “hill” in south Louisiana. Based on its location, and the intersection of four fence lines near the oak, it was probably used as a boundary marker years ago to designate where one property line ended and another began. The oak was registered with the Live Oak Society (#2219) by Camille Durand “Mamille” Johnson-Foret, and the land where the tree resides has been in the Johnson family for several generations.

La Belle Colline and distant “hill”

Mrs. Johnson-Foret was the stepmother of St. Martinsville arborist, Jim Foret who I’ve mentioned in past blog posts (Jim helped me to measure and photograph the St. John Cathedral Oak back in August of this year). Jim is an excellent arborist and resource for information on the care and maintenance of old oaks as well as a great tree-friend.

Edna Szymoniak Oak (Hammond) and Lorenzo Dow Oak (Grangeville)

September 8, 2015July 4, 2021 / williamguion / Leave a comment

Oaks east of Acadiana
It was while working on the photographs of Trees Acadiana’s top 10 live oaks that I had the inspiration to extend my search from Acadiana to include the largest and oldest live oaks I could locate across Louisiana.

Edna Szymoniak Oak—Number 3 on my 30-something list is the Edna Szymoniak Oak, located at the entrance to the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Center. Nestled in pine and oak woods about six miles from the city of Hammond, at 21549 Old Covington Highway, the station covers approximately 150 acres of research gardens. It is a beautiful example of a well-cared-for old oak. Its location makes it easy for Research Center visitors to view and it receives the regular protection and care of the AgCenter’s knowledgeable staff.

At 35 ft. 6 inches in circumference, I feel the Edna Szymoniak Oak probably gets far less recognition than it deserves as one of Louisiana’s oldest and largest live oaks. Not much is known about its history prior to the establishment of the Hammond Ag Center, but in this area of the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, there are numerous ancient live oaks, including the Seven Sisters Oak in Mandeville. In a recent Times Picayune article of historic live oaks within a short distance of New Orleans, the Edna Oak wasn’t even included.

The Edna Szymoniak oak is named after the wife of Boleslaus “Bill” Szymoniak, the first superintendent of the research center station. (From their website) “Established in 1922 as the Fruit and Truck Experiment Station, the LSU AgCenter Hammond has traditionally served the strawberry and vegetable industries.

Today, the AgCenter’s focus is landscape horticulture, including plant selection, fertility, weed control and plant growth regulators. Scientists evaluate more than 500 ornamental plants per year and each spring and fall release a list of “Super Plants” that grow well in all parts of Louisiana.

Lorenzo Dow Oak—The next oak on my list has an interesting story connected to its name—the Lorenzo Dow Oak, located near Grangeville, LA.

Lorenzo Dow Oak study; 36′-8″; Grangeville, LA

The oak is named after Lorenzo Dow, who (according to Wikipedia) was an eccentric itinerant American preacher who lived between 1777 and 1834. He reportedly preached to more people than any other preacher of his time. Dow traveled widely around the U.S. preaching “against atheism, deism, Calvinism and Universalism.” Though he lived like a pauper, traveling mostly on foot with only the clothes on his back and a box of bibles, Dow was also a successful author. His autobiography was at one time the second most-read book, exceeded only by the bible.

Lorenzo Dow Oak, Masonic Lodge Oak 2 and corner of lodge building.

Dow traveled to this part of the South in 1803–1804 and probably preached in or near the Grangeville area. His dramatic fire-and-brimstone evangelical preaching style (he shouted, screamed, begged, flattered, cried and challenged his listeners and their beliefs) drew crowds wherever he spoke. His wide influence and popularity resulted in many children of this period being named after him as well as this ancient oak.

Lorenzo Dow Oak, black-and-white infrared study.

Because he was often unwelcome in churches, Dow would preach wherever he could—in town halls, farmers’ barns, open fields and possibly even under the overhanging branches of these two old oaks.

The sprawling and partially overgrown Lorenzo Dow Oak is located on the grounds of the Grangeville Masonic Lodge #231, along with a second neighboring oak that is 27 feet 11 inches in girth.

The lodge is one of the oldest Masonic groups in Louisiana, with a membership that dates back to 1889, and a lodge building that was originally constructed in the 1930s (and is currently being restored).

This oak was especially challenging to find since its location on the Live Oak Society registry was simply “East Feliciana.” Grangeville is actually in St. Helena Parish, a few miles west of Pine Grove in a northeastern corner of Louisiana, east of St. Francisville (though in the early part of the 1900s many people referred to this area of Louisiana as the “Florida Parishes and referred to east and west Feliciana as just the “Felicianas.” I finally found online snapshots of someone who had visited the Grangeville Masonic Lodge and so wrote a letter to the lodge and finally located the old oak.

NOTE: Though, “northeastern” may not seem accurate to those living around Grangeville, since it is due east of St. Francisville which is in the middle of the state. Grangeville is located in the northeastern corner of the “toe” of Louisiana’s boot shape that sticks into Mississippi and is only a few miles directly south of McComb, MS. Grangeville is positioned where the boot laces would be on the toe of the boot shape.

Louisiana’s oldest oaks – older than America

September 7, 2015August 9, 2025 / williamguion / 1 Comment

Oaks with 30-something feet girth
In 2015, I marked 30 years that of photographing live oaks of Louisiana and 10 years since I began the 100 Oaks Project (documenting the 100 oldest oaks in Louisiana). Because of these milestones, I decided to devote 2015 to tracking down the very oldest living live oaks in Louisiana—those trees with girths of 30 feet or more. I was already familiar with a few of the more well-known oaks in this size range, but most were still on my longer list of “trees yet to find.”

Stonaker Oak – near New Roads, LA; 29 ft. 6 in; #16 on original Live Oak Society inductee list.

To compile my list, I included all Society member trees with a circumference of 26’ feet or greater when registered. I knew from experience and from discussions with arborists that mature oaks have an average growth rate of 1” to 1.5” per year. In a half-century, a healthy live oak can easily grow three to four feet in circumference. This narrowed my search to fewer than 30 oaks in Louisiana that could potentially be in the 30-foot girth range.

Before America was America—According to several Louisiana arborists I consulted, oaks of this size are probably between 400 and 500 years of age (add another 100 years or more to this estimate for those oaks with a girth greater than 35 feet). That means these live oaks were likely growing before Europeans settled this continent (the earliest colony was established in 1565 by the Spanish in St. Augustine, Florida; Jamestown, Virginia, was established in 1607). Some were quite possibly growing before the name “America” was first used in print in 1507 as a designation for this continent—in other words, Before America was America.

Seven Sisters color 4_7x13 copy — The Seven Sisters Oak, Lewisburg/Mandeville – National Champion

The 30-something club—One New Orleans arborist I contacted about a tree’s location jokingly suggested I call my list the “30-something club.” So, I’ve incorporated that into the title of this blog entry as well and have included in this list oaks that are almost 30 feet in girth (29′-6″ or greater). To me, these venerable oaks should be recognized as cultural and historical landmarks and deserve a more significant place in public awareness—and even some minimal protection that would allow them to live to whatever ripe old age a live oak can live.

Edna Szymoniak Oak, Hammond, LA (35 ft. 8 in. in girth)

Live oak protection—Tragically, several of the oldest oaks on the Society’s registry have died, fallen off the grid of public awareness or even been removed. It’s important to note that it’s only through public awareness and human interest that a tree’s survival is secured. Currently, there are no state laws in Louisiana to protect historic or heritage trees and only spotty local ordinances that offer any protection from human removal. I’ll cover this in detail in a future blog entry.

Randall Oak, New Roads, LA (36 ft. 7in. girth)

Lorenzo Dow Oak, Grangeville, LA (36 ft. 8 in. girth)

In the next few blog entries, I’ll be documenting my search during 2015 to find these 30-something live oaks. More photos of the oldest oaks can be found at this blog entry here…

Here are the trees in order of size:

Seven Sisters Oak – Lewisburg / Mandeville; 39′-10″
Randall Oak – New Roads; 35′-8″
Edna Szymoniak Oak – Hammond; 35′-6″
Lorenzo Dow Oak – Grangeville; 35′-5″
La Belle Coline Oak – Between Sunset and Carencro; 34’+
The Governor’s Oak – Baton Rouge; 33′-3″
Lastrapes Oak (Seven Brothers Oak) – Washington; 32′-3″ (largest section)
Boudreaux Friendship Oak – Scott; 31′-10″
Lagarde Oak – Luling; 30′-11″
Mays Oak – Near Rosedale; 30′-11″
Blanchet Oak – Lafayette; 30′-7″
Grosse Tete Oak – Bayou Grosse Tete; 30′-2″
Etienne de Bore’ Oak – Audubon Park, New Orleans; 30′
Grenier Oak – Near Thibodaux; 29′-9″
Josephine A. Stewart Oak – Vacherie; 29′-11″
St. John’s Cathedral Oak – Lafayette; 29′-6″
Stonaker Oak – New Roads; 29′-6″
The John Hudson Oak – Prairieville, LA; 29′-6″

(This list has been updated as of December 2020)

As I continue locating and measuring additional oaks through this year, I may expand this 30-something list, but as of September, these are the oaks I’ve personally measured and confirmed to be 29′-6″ or larger.

NOTE: I’ve found a few oaks with girths stated to be larger than 29 feet on the Live Oak Society registry. However, when I measured them, their sizes were smaller. I suspect they were simply mismeasured. Those oaks are not on this list but will be mentioned in my blog entries that follow because they are still very old trees and fit into my larger 100 oldest oaks list.

A bit of background—For those readers who are new to this blog, my wife Cyndi and I began the 100 Oaks Project after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept across Louisiana in 2005. We started with the 43 original inductee trees listed by Dr. Edwin L. Stephens in a 1934 article he wrote for the Louisiana Conservation Review titled “In Louisiana, I saw a Live Oak Growing” (a PDF copy of that article is contained in the “Pages” section of this blog).

Dr. Stephen’s original intent was to establish an organization “to promote the culture, distribution, and appreciation of the live oak.” Members were originally limited to oaks that were at least 100 years of age, determined by a circumference of 17 feet or more, though he revised these requirements to allow registration of “junior-league” oaks with a minimum circumference of eight feet.

100 Oaks Project

A photo-documentary of the 100 oldest live oaks in Louisiana

30-something project