Sitting in the heart of the Tennessee Tech University campus, the twin Post Oaks, Quercus stellata, are over three hundred years old and have been a part of the development of the Upper Cumberland area. The two trees sit alongside the historic Old Walton Road, completed in 1801, connecting settlements in East Tennessee to those in Middle Tennessee. This route hosted the migration of all kinds of tribes and people, such as the Cherokee and Yuchi. Bison herded by native Americans would have grazed a route alongside these trees, that later, early pioneers would have used for their travels from Knoxville.
An inn once stood on the site of Tech’s current football stadium, welcoming those early pioneers. After the inn burned, the site became known as the “Old Burnt Stand Place”. In 1890 the Tennessee Central Railroad was built along Walton Road, connecting Nashville and Knoxville.
The twin oaks are over 70 feet tall with the largest diameter over 11 feet and an average crown spread of 66 feet.
Historic Trees, 2023. Nominated by DeLayne Miller.
