Is the TyTy Big Tree the Largest Pecan Tree in the World?


The TyTy Big Pecan Tree was observed to be a huge tree in 1875 at the TyTy, GA property when John Williams and his wife Catharine Gibbs Williams built a house there with 6 giant bedrooms all furnished with large fireplaces located then in Worth County, Georgia, but originally located in Irwin County, Georgia. General Ezekiel Williams lived in the house with his father, John, and mother, Catharine, after he fought in the Spanish-American War. When they later moved to Cordele, Crisp County GA., this TyTy property was sold to Noel Nelson Malcolm from Social Circle, Walton County, GA in 1905, after TyTy had been absorbed into newly formed, Tift County, GA. The Albany and Brunswick Railroad (A&B Railroad) connected the cities of Albany, Georgia and Brunswick, Georgia, and after the Civil War had dramatically depressed the economics of South Georgians for a decade, the citizens began to recover from General William Tecumseh Sherman's devastating Civil War invasion into the State of Georgia, and in 1874 the A&B Railroad connected the South Georgia city of Albany, Georgia, and Brunswick- and Northwards- into the middle Georgia City of Macon and Brunswick.


A tremendous exporting of heart pine longleaf pines timber began when the Tift families from Mystic, CT moved to the small towns of Albany and Tifton to harvest the vast longleaf pine resources for timber and to harvest the resin from the pine trees into the distilled product, turpentine that was, universally used as an indispensable solvent in the manufacture of paint and household drugs and other products. These products were classified as Naval Stores and were consumed in the United States and exported to Europe. During the 1870's the longleaf pine timber boom brought great wealth to the Tift families and others in the cities of Albany and Tifton, GA. The City of TyTy, GA. was established as a passenger depot that was located some 40 miles East of Albany, where many new businesses sprouted, including grocery stores, livery stables, boarding houses, bars and cafes. When the Malcolm family became established on this property at TyTy, GA in 1905, many railroad tourists stopped and observed the TyTy Big Pecan Tree, and nearby other seedling grown pecan trees that had been recently planted around the William's property.


A railroad tourist traveling from Texas brought some pecan cuttings that originated in Texas in 1905 and grafted them into the top of the newly established seedling pecan trees on the William's property, and these 100 year old pecan trees still are standing on this property in 2009, some with several different cultivars growing on the same tree and still producing excellent quality papershell pecans, and the trees are still located at walking distance intervals from the TyTy Big Pecan Tree. Some giant Grandiflora Magnolia trees planted by the John and Catharine William's family in 1875 remain today on the property that were placed on the National Historic Society Register by Attorney, Fred Williams Rigdon Jr., who was a direct descendant along with Dr. Steven Rigdon of the John and Catharine William's family. The historic Williams-Malcolm house was also placed on the National Historic Society Register, but it burned in 1985 at the age of 110 years old, however, the giant 6-room brick fireplace chimney, towering 2 stories high, still stands leaning at a menacing angle toward the State of Texas, awaiting that day, when it crashes to the Earth hopefully to be recycled by some person who will treasure the history of past memories, of now forgotten events surrounding this historic property.


The mystery of how the TyTy Big Pecan tree came to be such an enormous landmark as early as 1875 remains unexplained, since pecan trees are not native trees to South Georgia. The property surrounding the "Big Tree" is loaded with Indian artifacts like arrowheads, flint knives and flint grinders, and it is also notable that flint is not indigenous to TyTy, GA. but was brought to TyTy by Native American Indians who hunted and camped here. It is obvious that the TyTy Big Pecan tree grew from a native pecan nut that was brought here as food during the winter for the Indian hunters, and that pecan fell to the ground and escaped being eaten by the Indian tribes to grow into a colosus and landmark that would flourish to produce tons of pecans for more than two centuries.


THE THIRD LARGEST PECAN TREE IN THE WORLD (NOW DECEASED)


The World's third largest Pecan Tree is claimed to be growing in the Natchez Trace State Park, and by tradition was said to be planted as a nut by a man named Sukey Morris who had found pecans growing in New Orleans in April of 1815 while serving in the Army of General Andrew Jackson, a Tennessee native who later became President Andrew Jackson. The last measurement made on this tree reportedly was taken in April of 1973, and the circumference was 18 feet, 2 inches with height of 106 feet and a spread of 136 feet. Sadly, this tree is reported to have died recently.