This very large Chinkapin Oak, Quercus muehlenbergii, stands 14 feet and 10 inches in circumference and over 80 feet tall. It has stood on Walton Ferry Road in Hendersonville for over 250 years and is named for the famous local Revolutionary War soldier, Captain William Walton.
Caption Walton served at the Mansker Station fort in what is now Goodlettsville around 1785 and became friends with Colonel Daniel Smith, the founder of Hendersonville. Later, Captain Walton settled in Smith County and developed an important east-west trade route stretching from near what is now the town of Kingston in East TN to what is now Carthage in Middle TN. That route was known as the Walton Road.
This oak was a regular landmark for those traveling between Mansker Station, Hendersonville, Smithville, and through Smith County along the Walton Road.
Historic Tree, 2021 • Nominated by Sue and Tom Bible • Photo by Sue and Tom Bible
