Seven Brothers Oak

On April 4, 1809, Louisiana cotton planter Jean Henri Lastrapes celebrated the birth of his seventh son by sending workers to gather seven small live oak trees to place around his home as reminders of his boys. When the workmen returned after dark, he ordered the saplings set in a single hole in front of the house to keep them fresh until final planting, but on the busy farm the plan was pushed aside and forgotten. Over months, years, and decades, the seven oaks grew from that crowded hole until seven huge trunks rose from the earth, and after nearly 200 years the seven Lastrapes sons were still remembered in the stately arms of the Seven Brothers Oak, located 1.2 miles south of Washington on Louisiana Highway 10 and recognized by both the National and State Live Oak Societies.

Opelousas, Louisiana · United States