Longwood, Florida -
Cypress Methuselah - Burned!

The Senator - Cypress Tree Methuselah

Big Tree Park, The Senator burnt down today. His sister tree is still there though, Lady Liberty. [Cassie, 01/16/2012]

[RA: Early on Jan. 16, 2012, firefighters arriving at Big Tree Park found the 3,500 year old cypress tree engulfed in flames -- from the inside. It then collapsed. The 118-ft. tall landmark was believed to be the world's oldest pond cypress tree.]

The Cypress Methuselah

This tree will impress all. There is something diminishing about being near something so old and still living. 40 feet away is the "sister" tree known as Lady Liberty. This tree is only 2,000 years old but still quite impressive. The trees have an iron fence around them, which is just as well because someone decided to carve "fail" into the trunk. [Slumlord, 10/18/2011]

Big Tree Park - The Senator

This place is magical. Very easy to get to and a quiet walk to the big trees. [Cris Swanlund, 12/03/2007]

[RA: This Tree is referred to as "The Senator," originally 165 ft. tall before a 1925 hurricane whittled it down a bit.]

Big Tree Park -- the Senator, giant cypress tree

Folks have been coming to see "Florida's Largest Cypress Tree" for generations. After all, he's 3,500 years old! I think that he used to be billed as the U.S.'s largest cypress, but he must have been dethroned, alas. I grew up in the area, and folks use the park as a navigational aid, as in, "Ya'll just drive a couple miles past the big tree." All the locals know where "the big tree" is! It's a pretty park, anyway, with picnic tables and restrooms and a nice place to chill out a bit while running around doing the "Disney thing." A glimpse of what Florida used to look like before we paved it all over. [Carolyn Coppinger, 08/02/2004]

[RA: While "The Senator" is an okay name for a big tree, we prefer the moniker used on old postcards to identify this one: "The Cypress Methuselah."]