Naval Live Oak Plantation State Historic Landmark
| The fourth in a series of historic markers sponsored by Florida SAF was dedicated at Gulf Islands National Seashore on January 17, 2009. Dr. Ed Barnard led the effort to gain state approval and cost-share funding from the state for the marker. A grant from the SAF Foresters' Fund provided additional funding.
The site of the marker was the first federal tree farm in the United States established by congressional resolution introduced by John Quincy Adams in 1828. Live oak (Quercus virginiana) was recognized as a superior wood for ship timbers. Widespread timber theft led to the need for a federally protected plantation. |
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Honorable Beverly Zimmern, Mayor Pro Tem of Gulf Breeze, Jerry Eubanks, Superintendent of the Gulf Islands Nation Seashore, and Florida SAF Chair Jarek Nowak attended the event. The program included comments by Captain William Reavey, USN, the commanding oficer of Pensacola Naval Air Station, Kathy Kuehl, president of the Gulf Breeze Area Historical Society, J. Earle Bowden, editor emeritus of the Pensacola News Journal, and Dr. Judy Bense, chair of the Florida Historical Commission. |
