The new deck can seat up to 30 people. (City of Missouri City photo)

Slaves gathered under it to learn they had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation.

Now, the centuries-old historic oak known as the Freedom tree has a place for schoolchildren and others to have a seat.

An octagon-shaped wooden deck has been built next to the Freedom Tree, a historic oak located in Lake Olympia in Missouri City. It will serve as an outdoor classroom to help students, residents and visitors learn more about the historic site.

Designed to seat about 30 people, the wooden deck is about 1,500 square feet and made from environmentally-friendly lumber. In addition, the structure is supported by a base that will not affect the tree's root system.

Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen and others took part in a dedication ceremony for the deck. (City of Missouri City photo)The Freedom Tree served as a gathering place in 1865 for slaves on the Palmer Plantation to be informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation. Based on its 76-inch diameter, the tree is estimated to be more than 200 years old.

The new deck will serve as an area where that history can be shared, visitors can meditate upon the tree's significance and descendants of slaves can remember their roots.

Plans for the area surrounding the tree including creating the Freedom Tree Park, which will feature an amphitheater with a replica of a cross-section of the tree designed to show the rings and history of what was happening at each point in time as the tree aged.

Missouri City City Council approved a $47,900 contract for the construction of the wooden deck last December. The city's share of the cost was about $12,000.

The structure was also partially funded through approximately $35,000 in donations from the Lake Olympia Civic Association, Quail Valley Proud and HEB.

In the spring of 2002, The Freedom Tree was accepted into the National Register of Historic Trees because of its long and historically significant status.