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Thergood's Pine
by Bob Bowman |
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| Where
is East Texas' oldest pine tree?
In
a land with billions of pines, that's a tough question to answer. But in San
Jacinto County, the Thergood pine tree--named for a pioneer who saved it from
a woodsman's ax -- certainly qualifies as a candidate for the title.
Now
more than 165 years old, the Thergood pine is still growing and bearing pine cones.
The tree stands on a knoll with its branches reaching toward the sky. At its base
is a flowing spring that never runs dry. Surviving in spite of countless odds,
the Thergood pine -- located in the Outlaw Ridge subdivision near Point
Blank -- is one of the last living pines that stood in East Texas during
the Republic of Texas.
It
bears the name of Collier Thergood, a slave who arrived with his family
in Texas from Georgia in 1839 with the family of Governor-to-be George T. Wood.
When
David Gindratt and Francis Sutton were married in May of 1859, Governor Wood gave
young Thergood to his step-son, David Gindratt, who treated the slave well.
After
the crops were laid by, Thergood often walked to Palmetto Creek to fish.
When he started his return home, he often passed by the knoll where the pine tree
stood to drink from the cold spring water. After cleaning his fish, he would stretch
out on the grass under the pine and dream. "Some day this tree and all this land
will be mine," he said hopefully. After
the Civil War and the end of slavery, Thergood saved his money and eventually
bought the land. He allowed his neighbors to carry water from the spring, but
they had explicit orders to never use a knife or an ax on the pine tree.On wash
days, women gathered under the pine tree and washed their clothes in wooden tubs
with homemade lye soap, then spread their garments on bushes to dry. Meanwhile,
the pine tree grew taller and shed its pine cones in the fall. The survival of
the tree through all these years is remarkable, even managing to avoid the pine
beetle which commonly strikes older pine trees. Collier Thergood died in August
of 1875, and was buried in the Liberty Cemetery at Point Blank.
Many of his relatives continue to live in San Jacinto County -- not far from the
pine that became the focal point for a pioneer's dream.
DECEMBER 31,
2000 - JANUARY 6, 2001
Published by permission.
(Bob Bowman
is a former president of the East Texas Historical Association and the author
of 24 books on East Texas history and folklore.) |
| Readers'
Comments: ...
I stumble across an article be wrote called "Thergood's Pine" on the internet.
Well I have never been much of a history buff, and since I am African American,
I figured not many records existed of my family history past my grandparents.
Well needless to say, I was terrifically shocked when I read the wonderful article
written by Mr. Bowman and spoke to my father and asked him if we had any family
in the east Texas area. He said that he thought we had family in Point Blank but
the name was originally spelled "Thergood". Well the article written by Mr. Bowman
was about a slave name Collier Thergood from... you guessed it. Point Blank! I
just wanted to personally thank Mr. Bowman for sparking a renewed interest in
obtaining my family history with his article. Thank you again. ... - Eric Thiergood,
May 22, 2001
... I truly appreciate you for running that story and
casting a different light on slavery. So often as an African American, I was told
at ALL slaves where treated horribly and abused, and while grievous abuse did
occurred, I have gained some additional insight by learning about my great, great,
great, great (not quite sure how many greats yet- Im still running down that information)
grandfather. Just so that you know about what ever happened to that land after
passing through a couple of generations, my great great (again unsure of how many
greats) was pressured to sell by some investors. He stood strong in refusing to
sell the land the family loved so much. That relative was later found murdered
on his porch and "investors" offering to purchase the land the following day.
From what I understand that land was sold for pennies on the dollar and was later
developed into quiet valuable real estate. Again thank you so very much for the
story ... - Eric Thiergood and Family, May 23, 2001 |
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