Benton County Tennessee
Genealogy
Pecan Tree
Date: 1956
Pecan Tree Over 140 Years Old Still Bears Each Year; More Than 10 Feet In Diameter And Shades An Acre Of Ground.
We in West Tennessee are fortunate in having the Natchez Trace State Park here at home. The 42,000 acres, surrounding three beautiful lakes make it one of the most attractive and largest recreational areas in the State. Picnicking and hiking are featured attractions and the lakes offer excellent fishing. Hunting also is permitted on a managed basis for short periods during the regular hunting seasons.
Natchez Trace, located in the southern part of Carroll and Benton Counties and the northern part of Henderson County is one of the few places left where one can go and get away from the busy hustle and excitement of the present day.
while the Park and Forestry Commissions maintain most of the Park, The Game and Fish Commission does maintain two of the lakes, Maples and Browns, as well as maintain several hundreds acres of cropland for the sole purpose of producing food for wildlife.
In recent years this area has been stocked with deer and it is possible that some day in the near future deer hunting will be permitted, especially if the heard continues to increase satisfactorily.
It is not uncommon to find fresh deer sign on the area and occasionally a deer might be seen crossing the road.
Recently a 14-point buck was found just off the area near Yuma. He had been dead several days and as of this writing, the cause of death has not been determined.
Two officers of the Commission patrol this area constantly in an effort to keep down poaching, free roaming dogs and other illegal activities. This, along with good sound conservation practices in cooperation with the other agencies has gone a long way in bringing back an abundance of wildlife that surely at one time inhabited this area.
Plans are also in the making to stock the area with wild turkey in the immediate future.
A 140 year old pecan tree, located on one of the highest ridges in the north end of the Park and can be seen for miles, is probably the biggest single attraction to the area. The huge tree, almost ten feet in diameter still bears. Its limbs, some more than one hundred and fifty feet long shade more than an acre of ground.
The indoor picnic ground immediately beneath the tree is a very popular place with campers and picnickers.
Time and elements have left their mark on this "grand daddy" of all pecan trees, but the concrete fillings and steel cables have helped preserve this giant tree.
The local legend is that the tree grew from a pecan brought back by one of Andrew Jackson's soldiers on his return from the Battle of New Orleans.
The United Forest Service dates its planting back to about 1816. No one will guess how much longer it will stand, but every effort is being made to prolong its live as it stands like a guardian over the pine and maple groves that spread over the once eroded hills and gullies.
Leaving the pecan tree and heading north toward Camden near the edge of the Park there are several huge rock formations that attract many people. Local tales are many and varied as to what these rocks are and how they happened to be here, but they are very interesting.
Black-top roads lead to the Park from every direction; however, the roads through the Park are gravel.
Huntingdon, Yuma and Wildersville serve as entrances for the west side of the Park; Camden and Bruceton on the north end and Parsons and Lexington on the south.
Visit this great park and revel in its beauty and in the communion with nature which it provides.