The Mighty Wedding Oak

The day I visited, it was very overcast and raining

Down in the heart of Texas, near the state's geographical center, stands a huge and very old live oak tree known as the “Matrimonial Oak” or the “Wedding Oak.” Legend says that even before the Spanish came here, Indian braves and maidens met and were united in wedlock beneath this oak's sheltering boughs. Later, from pioneer days into the 1900's, the tree was a popular spot for residents of the area to visit and exchange pledges and marriage vows.

Historical records tell of the tree also being a place for Indian council meetings, but that's about it. No ghosts, hangings, or treasure tales are connected to it, Bonnie and Clyde didn't temporarily stop fleeing from the law to have a picnic beside it and Elvis never slept under it. It's just a beautiful, very large and very old tree that has seen a lot of history and survived many cold winters and hot summers since it was just a stick.

The Matrimonial Oak lives in the quiet countryside just outside the city limits of San Saba, on the east side of China Creek Road, about half a mile south of the San Saba River. From US Hwy. 190 in San Saba. turn right on 9th Street, then left on China Creek Road (CR 200) and go one mile to the Matrimonial Oak.

Texas Historical Marker next to the Wedding Oak