Do not trespass across the fence.

The Famous Trees of Texas website clearly states these italicized instructions. A ramshackle structure nearby was enough warning for me to keep my distance, not to mention the barbed wire. The photo in my old first edition was shot facing the road, from about where this dilapidated box with a couple windows now resides. Another aging corrugated tin structure on cinderblocks slumps over to one side.

En route to the hill country to float the Rio Frio in the heat of August, I briefly detoured to see the Heart O’ Texas Oak with my little gamer, who was unwilling to leave the car, or his screen.

The middle of nowhere 

I repeat this phrase in the video because there ain’t hardly nothing out here. A 1922 U.S. Geodetic Survey determined this location as the “exact” center of the Lone Star State, roughly 400-ish miles from each border. 

The wide open, windy location reminded me of the Halfway Oak, but this live oak had little impact on my sense of wonder. Questioning whether I was in the right place, but with only gps coordinates, I had to go on faith that I’d found what I was looking for. Maybe it was in my own heart the whole time.

One word review: Underwhelming 

The Heart O’Texas Oak is located on Ranch Road 1028 near the town of Mercury. Please respect private property by viewing the tree from the road. Do not trespass across the fence.