“The Senator stood long before Walt Disney came to Florida. Before Henry Flagler. Even before the Seminole Indians arrived. It was there when Columbus crossed the sea, when Christ was born and when the Roman Empire rose and fell.
Read more Editorial: Jane Healy’s legacy — a fight for Central Florida
“Over the span of three millennia, the towering cypress tree made it through the worst that nature could throw its way. But The Senator, one of the world’s oldest surviving trees, is no longer standing.”
Those were the words of an Orlando Sentinel editorial published the day after the iconic 3,500-year-old tree was tragically destroyed on Jan.16, 2012. A woman hopped over a fence and was inside a hollow part of the tree’s base when she set fire to some debris so she could see drugs she wanted to use, and the tree caught fire.
The Senator was considered to be one of the oldest and tallest cypress trees in the world and was the centerpiece of Big Tree Park near Longwood. It stood 118 feet tall with a diameter of nearly 18 feet.
The giant bald cypress once served as a beacon for ancient tribes traveling inland to fish, hunt and trade, towering over an expanse of pine, oak, palms and cypress we now call Spring Hammock. The big tree, once visible from the St. Johns River eight miles away, guided them to trading grounds.
Read more SeaWorld: Opening date, previews set for Fire & Ice ride
Experts who climbed to the top say they still could see Orlando 12 miles away.
The Senator had always been considered male because the tree’s namesake, state Sen. Moses O. Overstreet.
A major landowner of his time, Overstreet donated the parkland to the county in 1927. His turpentine company became the Overstreet Investment Co. with widespread interests in sawmills, manufacturing and the construction and operation of hotels and general stores.
More stories and features from the Orlando Sentinel’s 150 years of covering Central Florida can be found at OrlandoSentinel.com/150. Sign up for our free history newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/newsletters
***
Want more Orlando history? Buy a copy of the Orlando Sentinel’s 150th anniversary book with 150 front pages from our 150 years. Get it OrlandoSentinel.com/150yearsbook and see more anniversary merchandise at OrlandoSentinel.com/150yearsmerch
Read more First look: Splashy return of Blue Man Group, PVC, quiet comedy