Marker Inscription
A few years after Odessa was founded in 1881, a squirrel stole a pecan from a neighbor's porch, and buried it in the yard of W. T. Malone, planting this tree. A rarity in the downtown area, it became a well-known landmark. When R. T. ("Cotton") Waddell (1889-1964) and his wife Mary Lee moved from their ranch to this home on July 1, 1926, they found entire neighborhood enjoying the native pecans from their tree. The R. T. Waddells, younger generation of a family influential in this region since the 1870s, gave time and talent to civic works as freely as their tree gave shade.
About this site
Waddell Pecan Tree is a historical marker in Odessa, Ector County, dedicated in 1972. It is one of 37 historical markers documented in Ector County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 39 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 31.8485, -102.3706 near Odessa. The nearest cataloged historic site is Earl George Rodman, Sr. and William Douglas Noel (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Odessa Petrochemical Complex, Ector County Courthouse, and Ector County Land Rush.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5135005697. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
