When Kyle was founded along the International & Great Northern Railroad in 1880, this giant liveoak was site of a public auction of town lots. The railway was given 200 acres of land by Fergus Kyle (1834-1905), state representative for whom the community was named, and the family of David E. Moore. Free rides were provided to the townsite on auction day, Oct. 14, 1880, and all business and most residential lots were sold. In 1881, the railroad gave 4 acres around the tree for a school, Kyle Seminary, which burned in 1889. The Alex Kercheville family now (1975) owns and preserves the tree.