The live oak on the north lawn of the Goliad County Courthouse shaded court sessions from 1846 to 1870 and, by the state marker's account as quoted, was also used for hangings, among them during the Cart War of 1857. It is called the Cart War Oak or the Goliad Hanging Tree, and the lawn is open ground on the town square.
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Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) · Goliad courthouse square
For a quarter of a century, Goliad held court in the shade of this oak. The state historical marker beside it, as it has been quoted, says court sessions met here from 1846 to 1870, and that the tree was also used for hangings that no court ordered. The worst of them came in 1857, during the Cart War against Mexican cartmen. About 70 men were killed before the Texas Rangers intervened, and some of them were hanged from this tree.
Texas Escapes called it the Cart War Oak in 2001 and placed it on the north side of the courthouse lawn, where Texas Highways puts it too. Others know it as the Goliad Hanging Tree. The figures above are the marker's, known through quotation, and little else has been written about the tree, so read them as the marker's account rather than a full history.
The courthouse behind it is the Second Empire building of 1894. The oak is still alive: photographs from January 2015 and visitors in 2018 show it standing on the lawn.
No written source names its species, though photographs show a live oak. Nobody has published its age, girth or height either. If you know any of them, tell us.
The lawn is open ground on the town square, with no ticket to buy.
Photo: Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)