A towering pecan tree in Washington has survived since shortly after Andrew Robinson and his family became the first permanent Anglo settlers in the area in 1821. Genetic testing shows that its closest relatives are in Mexico, more than 900 miles away, linking it to the same forces of trade, travel, and settlement that shaped Washington's development. Located on the La Bahia road stretching from Mexico to Louisiana, Washington may have gained the tree when a pecan fell from a saddlebag or wagon, or from a traveler's hand. The La Bahia Pecan witnessed the Texas Revolution and the birth and decline of Washington, and it endures as a living witness to Texas' history as an independent nation and as a state, while recalling the travelers, migration, and movement that helped create Texas.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse