143 acres on High Island which contain oak mottes with live oaks over 100 year old, ponds, wetlands and coastal prairie. The Rookery in the middle of Claybottom Pond has become a favored roosting and nesting place for thousands of waterbirds. Open to the public sunrise to sunset year round.
Ponds at Smith Oaks
Smith Pond was dug to hold the water supply for
the High Island community. Claybottom Pond
was dug to increase the water supply available
to the town and to provide water for the sulfur
plant that was east of the pond. Both ponds are
favorite fishing places for local fisherman.
The Rookery
See separate listing: The Rookery at Smith Oaks
Drip and Pond
With the help of many volunteers, Don Verser donated time and materials to build a new pond and drip at the old homestead area of Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary in 2007. The first several months of the project included privet and ligustrum clearing, followed by installation of new shrubs and understory trees. The new water feature has already started to attract birds to this historically significant part of High Island.
Pump House
Property donated by Amoco had many uses
during the years of petroleum production.
The brick building was built in the 1920's and
housed large pumps that pumped oil from the
oil field into pipe lines. The field to the east of
the brick building once held large oil storage
tanks which were dismantled in 1993. Prairie
restoration on this site has erased all traces of
the storage facility.
History
Smith Oaks is 177 acres of field, woods,
wetlands and ponds. Sixty-four acres were
purchased by HAS with the help of HAS
members, friends, and the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation. The remaining
110 acres were donated to HAS by
Amoco Production Company.
The Smith Oaks Sanctuary began with purchase by HAS of an undivided interest in the 11.3-acre George and Charlotte Smith (not related to Louis Smith) homestead property in 1987, followed by a major donation of 110.9 acres by Amoco Petroleum in 1994, then purchases by HAS of the 20.6-acre "Tank Farm" Tract in 1995 and 34.53-acre Wiggins Tract in 2003. The Smith Oaks Sanctuary is now made up of 177.33 acres of oak mottes, ponds, wetlands, and coastal prairie, and a rookery in the middle of Claybottom Pond that provides roosting and nesting for thousands of waterbirds.
Smith Oaks was named for George and
Charlotte Smith, who acquired the property
in 1879 from Charlotte's parents, John and
Mary Ann Brown. Records show that the
couple began improvements on the land that
year, building houses, fences and ditches, and
planting oaks and hedges.
It is unclear who planted the oldest oaks on
the property, as John Brown is also reported
to have planted some oaks.
George Smith owned cattle and raised peaches,
pears, oranges, strawberries, cabbage, sugar
cane, cotton and tobacco. He also operated a
sugar mill and cotton gin on the property.
However, he was most famous for his mineral
water enterprise.
Smith dug several water wells on his property
and reported that he has 21 "distinct" waters.
The deepest well, dug in 1882, was 32 feet deep and
also produced gas, which Smith viewed as an
inconvenience, since there was no market for it.
Smith received a trademark and bottled and
sold his "High Island Mineral Springs Water"
along the Texas Gulf Coast. He claimed that
the water would "...cure Brights disease, liver
and kidney troubles, Catarrh-the cause of
consumption, Asthma, Hay Fever, restore hair
on bald heads, and remove Dandruff on the
Scalp and all the Pimples and Blotches from
the face." The ruins of one of these wells can
still be seen in the woods across from the map
shelter at the Winnie Street Entrance.
The Smiths' home, dismantled in 1985, stood
on the property for over 100 years. The site of
their house is easily identified, as the garden
paths, flower beds and ornamental plants they
planted in their yard are still obvious.
