Big Tree Park near Sanford, FL home of the Senator (1488 BC - Jan 16, 2012)

This is Big Tree Park just south of Sanford, FL off US 17-92. It's home to the oldest Cypress Tree in the USA. The Senator is over 3,500 years old and it's sister tree Lady Liberty (formerly known as The General) is over 2,000 years old. The Senator began life not long after Stonehenge was built and it was alive from that time until recently when it burned from inside it's hollowed trunk and fell over early in the morning on January 16, 2012. The Senator as it was named was alive and well at 1,000 years old when the Roman Empire was at it's height and when Jesus walked the earth. It also saw the Spanish Conquistadors exploring the new land called LaFlorida, which we now call Florida. They were looking for the fabled Fountain of Youth and ElDorado, the fabled lost city of gold.

The tree was named for the Florida State Senator Moses Overstreet who donated the tree and the land around it to Seminole County for use as a park in 1927. The tree was originally 165ft tall but a hurricane toppled the top 47 feet of it in 1925, reducing its height to 118ft tall. Arson was ruled out and so it's believed a lightning strike hit the inside of the hollowed out trunk several months ago which smoldered until erupting in flames on that fateful day. I hope you enjoy this video. I'm happy that I got the video but sad to see it gone now.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Big
• Tree
• Park
• Sanford
• FL
• Florida
• Seminole
• County
• Oldest
• Bald
• Cypress
• orlando
• environment
• nature
• county
• state
• system
• park
• Senator
• Lady
• Liberty
• Moses
• Overstreet
• longwood

[woodencoasterfan]

@Hieagandaus The report said the fire started in the hollowed out tree trunk near the crown of the tree which is 118ft tall, that's almost 12 stories high. Smoldering wood also gives off a small amount of smoke which can be easily dissipated by winds at the 118ft level. It is plausible for a lightning strike to hit something and have it smolder for a few weeks until it erupts when the conditions are right.

[woodencoasterfan]

@snakeman666 So am I, it's a link to the ancient past that we nolonger have. Hard to believe this tree started life not long after Stonehenge was built.

[woodencoasterfan]

@EvangelineMcDoweII It may not be worth anything to you, but it was one of the ten oldest living things on the planet at an estimated age of 3,500 years. This tree was a seedling not long after Stonehenge was built. It was 1,000 years old at the height of the Roman Empire and when Jesus walked the planet. It also saw the Spanish Conquistadors exploring the new land they called LaFlorida

[Hieagandaus]

WCF I think someone burned it down,someone could tell if the tree was smoldering since it was ''struck'' 2 weeks a go or something.

[EvangelineMcDoweII]

And nothing of worth was lost..



[snakeman666]

It burnt down Jan.16,2012. Sorry to see it go.

[Pieishman]

wow thats an old tree