The Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce has created an official GeoTour. Come Find Yourself in Rockport-Fulton for beachcombing, fishing, art, fun, birdwatching, kayaking, museums, history, seafood and more! More than 40 geocaches and bonus geocaches have been hidden in special places throughout the Rockport-Fulton area. Use your geocaching app or GPS to go on an adventure through our peninsula on the beautiful coast of Texas! Take pictures and post to social media using the hashtag #FindYourselfinRockportFulton #RFGeoTour #GeoTour.
Zachary Taylor Arboretum Park is the home of a historic live oak tree estimated to be 400 to 600 years old. It is said to have provided a shaded campsite for American Army Troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor in July, 1845 prior to the beginning of the Mexican-American War in 1846. Troops of the Third Infantry included 2nd Lt. Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, William Sherman, and Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. This historic oak tree is listed in multiple historic and/or famous tree registries.
The Zachary Taylor Arboretum Park was damaged during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. The Zachary Taylor Oak suffered the loss of a large limb which altered its general appearance. The limb is still lying on the ground next to the tree at the time of this writing. There are several large, healthy limbs that survived and in general the tree appears to be stable and growing. As an arboretum, the park does contain at least ten other kinds of trees. The diverse selection of trees are identified by signage and while lovely now, will eventually be a beautiful display of a mature grove of mixed cultivars including Anaqua, Crape-Myrtle, Desert Willow, Hackberry, Lacebark Elm, Live Oak, Southern Magnolia, Sycamore, Texas Persimmon, and White Mulberry.
There is a an old-fashioned Victorian-Style gazebo in the park with a "town-square garden" setting and a lovely fountain. The gazebo and park is available for rental, so please be respectful if the area is in use. A small picnic area is adjacent to the gazebo. *Restroom facilities are not available at this site. Cache is hidden in plain sight. Log access requires no tools.
The park is found at the intersection of E. Bay Street and S. Pearl Street. The official street address is: 702 E. Bay Street, Rockport, TX 78382. Park hours are: 7a.m. - 11p.m.
We thank Rockport Parks and Leisure for permission to place this cache and supporting the Rockport-Fulton GeoTour! Thank you MiMi&PaPaC for the geocache!