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"Uncle"
Martin Fleming and
The Fleming Oak of Comanche
By Margaret
Waring
Photos by John Troesser
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The
Fleming Oak
August 2002
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Tradition and
history surround the Fleming Oak. William W. Fleming and his sixteen
year old son, Martin V. reputedly camped near the tree as they passed
through the area about 1854 freighting on the Ft. Gates/ Ft. Phantom
Hill Road established to serve the short-lived military post located
above modern Abilene.
It was a prospecting trip, of sorts, before the town of Comanche
was established. The Fleming family was living in Williamson County
in 1850 at Georgetown but they relocated about 1854 to a home near
the site of modern Killeen.
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Another
view of the Fleming Oak |
| Martin
V. Fleming apparently visited in Comanche again in the late 1850s
as he returned to his Bell County home from a deer hunt. He learned
of the Civil War while in Comanche and joined Co. G., First Texas
Cavalry under Col. Thomas C. Frost in May of 1861 with a group of
area men who mustered in at that time. Mart Fleming, wounded twice,
was discharged on disability in June of 1863 but he apparently did
not return directly to Comanche. He lived briefly in Mexico after
the Civil War but settled in Brenham
about 1866. Some relatives lived in Washington County and there he
was married to his second wife, whom he brought to Comanche in 1872.
Uncle Mart, as he was affectionately known, was a stockman and a farmer
with business interests in Comanche through the years. He is best
remembered for his meat market located on the south side of Comanche's
square opposite the Fleming Oak and next to the original Comanche
National Bank building. The façade at the market site is being restored
as part of Comanche's Main Street program. |
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The
Trunk of the Fleming Oak
August 2002 |
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A beloved Comanche
tradition arises from the city's effort to remove all the old trees
from the square about 1911. The often-told tale recounts the story
of Mart Fleming defending the tree with his shotgun and threatening
anyone who would take an axe to it. A similar story survives about
an event in 1919 when Uncle Mart, again, protected the tree from
a crew paving the square.
In an interview in 1921, Fleming says he did not mention his shotgun
but told those who threatened the tree that he would use his "No.
10's" on them, a reference to his boot size rather than a gun. Fleming
reported that some rough words were needed but workmen laid down
their tools. The shotgun defense legend has been told and retold,
spelled out on an historical marker beneath the tree, and is an
entrenched piece of local folklore. Another long established Comanche
tradition is decorating the Fleming Oak with lights at Christmas
time.
Uncle Mart died in 1928 and is buried in Comanche with his only
child, Camille, who remained single and lived at home. Uncle Mart,
thrice married, is reputed to have helped rear several orphans and
his family included step children as well. A colorful figure, tall,
lean, and pictured late in life with a white beard, Uncle Mart continues
to remind one of Comanche's past. The tree he saved is treasured.
March 2003
© Margaret T. Waring
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