What happened to the little ‘Homeless Christmas tree’ on Interstate 30 in Fort Worth?
Fort Worth’s beloved “Homeless Christmas Tree” has apparently celebrated its last holiday.
The little mimosa tree that for decades stood alone atop a hill on the north side of Interstate 30 with a panoramic view of downtown Fort Worth has been removed by an unknown person or persons, apparently as part of a land-clearing operation.
The hill on the north side of I-30 between Beach Street and Oakland Boulevard has been cleared of all foliage and debris in recent days, several people who have visited the site said.
The trunk of the original tree, which died in 2014 (although volunteers continued to decorate it), as well as a sapling from that tree that was planted at the same site and recently had grown to about 5 feet, were cut to the roots and removed, they said.
Also, a small bench that had been placed on the hill in the memory of one of the tree’s most dedicated volunteers, Carla Christian, also was removed, they said.
Leslie Gordon, who in 2005 wrote a children’s book titled “The Homeless Christmas Tree” inspired by the real-life mimosa on the highway, said it was “heart-breaking” to learn that the entire hill had been cleared without warning.
Many volunteers who decorated the old tree in year’s past are just now learning that the land has been cleared, and they are stunned by the news, she said in an interview Monday.
Gordon said she visited the tree as recently as Dec. 19, and everything at the hillside site seemed normal. But a little more than a week later, on Sunday, her husband happened to drive by the site and noticed that the tree trunk, the sapling and the bench were gone.
“It appears to have been done very deliberately, very professionally, and totally cleaned up,” Gordon said. “It doesn’t sound like vandalism. which is heart-breaking.”
The land is owned by the Texas Department of Transportation. But officials at that agency said Monday they had no knowledge of the removal of the old tree, the sapling and the bench.
“We are not aware of any activities in this area that would have involved those items being disturbed or removed,” Val Lopez, transportation department spokesman, said in a text message.
Fort Worth City Council member Cary Moon, whose district includes the area, said his office is working with the state transportation department on possibly building public art in the vicinity of the site, but he didn’t have details on who made the decision to remove the tree.
During Christmas week, the show Texas Country Reporter — which runs on television affiliates in most Texas markets and on RFD-TV throughout the U.S. — aired a segment on the “Homeless Christmas Tree” in Fort Worth.
Gordon saw that episode Christmas night.
Two days later, she learned that the tree was gone.
The tree was in a somewhat difficult spot to access, since that area of I-30 doesn’t have a frontage road — although visitors who really wanted to get to the area could access it by navigating a hill from Oakland Boulevard.
Because of the tree’s historical significance, Fort Worth’s forestry office has listed the old mimosa as one of 49 “heritage trees” in the city since 2009.
Beginning in 1986, the tree was decorated each year for Christmas, initially by workers at a nearby insurance company and later by volunteers who considered it a symbol for the homeless and forgotten.
One of those volunteers was former Presbyterian Night Shelter worker Carla Christian, who saw the tree as a symbol of hope. She helped care for the tree regularly before her death in 2006 — and one of her relatives is believed to have placed the bench on the hillside, for those who wished to meditate in the area and take in the view of downtown (which was spectacular during sunsets).
But even though the tree brought out the best in many people, it also may have suffered from over-decoration, city foresters have said. The year-round appearance of ornaments, garland and other decorations on the tree might have contributed to its death in 2014, they said.
The region was also in the midst of a significant drought at the time.
Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
