Marker Inscription
This large Live Oak tree is named for the Pioneer family of Shapley Prince Ross (1811-89), who camped here overnight while migrating from Missouri in 1839. They returned to this area in 1848,with Ross at the head of a Texas Ranger Company. When Waco was founded in 1849, Ross bought the land around the Oak Tree. He became postmaster, ferryman,and hotel owner in the town. He and wife, Catherine (1812-86), were parents of Robert (b.1848) and Kate (b.1851) Ross, first children born to permanent Anglo-American settlers in this area. Another son, Lawrence Sullivan Ross (1838-98), was governor of Texas, 1887-91)
About this site
Ross Oak, The is a historical marker in Waco, McLennan County, dedicated in 1975. It is one of 198 historical markers documented in McLennan County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 224 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 31.5489, -97.1304 near Waco. The nearest cataloged historic site is Site of Old Texas Cotton Palace (historical marker), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Waco University, First Baptist Church of Waco, and Waco Drug Company.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5309005419. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
