Naval Live Oaks Reservation

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Naval Live Oaks Reservation
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)

Location:	Santa Rosa County, Florida
Nearest city:	Gulf Breeze, Florida
Coordinates:	30°21′52″N, 86°58′3″W
Area:	1,300 acres
Added to NRHP:	January 8, 1971
Visitation:	1,689,400 (in 2005)

Highway 98 going through the Naval Live Oaks.

View from the top of the bluff in the Naval Live Oaks, looking south on the rest of the reservation.

The Naval Live Oaks Reservation (also known as Deer Point Live Oaks Reservation or Deer Point Plantation) is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and is near Gulf Breeze, Florida. The Reservation was included in the Seashore's establishment on January 8, 1971, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1998.

[edit] History

The U.S. Government purchased the tract of land making up the Naval Live Oaks Reservation in 1828 for use in experimenting with the cultivation of live oaks from acorns. Before the Civil War, Live Oak wood was the primary material of choice for shipbuilders, thus the protection and cultivation of the trees for Naval use was vital.

Currently, the land comprises over 1300 acres in Gulf Islands National Seashore and is owned by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. U.S. Route 98 goes through the southern portion of the land. To the south of Highway 98 is a visitor's center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore and some public beach areas. On the north side there is one picnic area with a trail to a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay. There are trails throughout the park.