President John Quincy Adams commissioned the Naval Live Oak reservation in the early 19th Century and appointed Henry Breckenridge as the overseer. While the caretaker only stayed on a few years, his legacy of planting Live Oaks is still evident today. The Live Oak tree was used in Navy shipbuilding until the eve of the Civil War.

While the Federal Government officially owned the property, it underwent many changes and was eventually sold to the state as excess property. The State of Florida hosted Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps and a myriad of other businesses on the land.

In the 1970s the US Government decided to set aside this property as a National Park and made it a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The tract contains a native burial site pre-dating European arrival, and is home to many local animals including raccoons, many varieties of snakes, and the occasional bear.

In an effort to preserve the seashore over 13,000 acres were set aside for education and conservation. As recently as twenty years ago the majority of this section of highway 98 westward looked similar to this stretch. One of the ways the Park Rangers maintain the property is through controlled burns. Along with Live Oak trees are many Pine trees that are susceptible to the Pine Beetle if they become weakened. The controlled burns started in the 1990s and have remained an effective way to prevent an unmanageable forest fire. The park now has a visitor's center and many nature trails that are open to the public.