Carol & I stepped back in time at a popular tourist destination. I first saw the Senator in 1960. I remember the car ride from Bayside, Va. to Orlando with my dad, mom, and three sisters. It was a hot balmy summer day, driving with the windows open, no A/C, and we noticed the Big Tree Park sign along road 17/92 and my dad decided to take a break, stop and check it out. At that time there was a trodden path through the woods that led to the Senator and Lady Liberty, two very big trees. I wasn’t acquainted with the woods being so dark and thick. I remember it felt a bit eery. As we walked toward The Senator, the balmy feeling increased. Seeing the tree ahead I couldn’t believe its size, it was definitely the biggest tree that I’ve ever seen. Now visitors walk through a natural hydric hammock swamp and make way on a boardwalk to the former site of “The Senator”: Before the fire, The Senator was approximately a 3,500-year-old National Champion Bald Cypress Tree. with a diameter of 17.5 Ft. and 118 Ft. high. The story behind the fire is a sad one. Carol and I had visited the Senator in 1975, shortly after we were married.
A memorial has been developed that includes interpretive signage along the newly renovated boardwalk, a playground piece that mimics a bald cypress tree stump and a clone of “The Senator” that was planted near the playground. The name for the clone is “The Phoenix”, and it’s growing at a fast rate. Big Tree Park is also home to the Senator’s sister tree, “Lady Liberty”, an approximately 2,000-year-old Bald Cypress Tree. This property was donated to Seminole County by Senator M.O. Overstreet and dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge in 1929.
There is a picnic area with a pavilion, a rubberized surface playground area, restrooms and ample parking. There is currently no admission cost.
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