Latest news with #LibertyTree
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tamaqua Liberty Tree Park will be home to special sapling
TAMAQUA — It's just an empty lot across from the Tamaqua Railroad Station, but in Micah Gursky's eyes it will blossom into a proud tribute to the founding of the United States of America. On a recent visit to the site, formerly occupied by several blighted buildings, Gursky outlined plans for Tamaqua Liberty Tree Park. 'Right now, we're filling in the lot to bring it up to sidewalk level,' said Gursky, director of the Tamaqua Community Partnership. 'But in late August or early September, it will become the home of Schuylkill County's Liberty Tree.' * The site for Liberty Tree Park sits across the tracks along Railroad St. from the Tamaqua Railroad Station, pictured Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) * Rendering of proposed Liberty Tree Park in Tamaqua. (Courtesy image) Show Caption 1 of 2 The site for Liberty Tree Park sits across the tracks along Railroad St. from the Tamaqua Railroad Station, pictured Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) Expand All of Pennsylvania's 67 counties will receive a sapling Liberty Tree to commemorate next year's celebration of the 250th anniversary, or semi-quincentennial, of the founding of the United States. The saplings are genetic offspring of the last surviving Liberty Tree, a 400-year-old Tulip Poplar on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Alive when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, it died of damage inflicted by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Arborists had bud-grafted offspring to produce authentic descendants prior to the tree's demise. The America250PA Commission, the organization that will distribute the saplings, selected Tamaqua as the site of Schuylkill County's Liberty Tree. In its application, Tamaqua had drafted a plan to acquire blighted properties on N. Railroad Street, across from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area visitor's center in the railroad station, and transform the property into a park. THE PARK The Tamaqua Community Partnership, which submitted the application for the tree, recently unveiled architect's renderings of the Liberty Tree park. The tree lies at the center of a grassy area, raised about 18-inches above a plaza from which it can be viewed. Adjacent to the tree is a flagpole, and a large Tamaqua Liberty Tree Park: 1776-2026 billboard-style sign. There's also a historic marker explaining the origin of the Liberty Tree. The public can view the tree from a sidewalk-level plaza, which includes interpretive displays with names of Revolutionary War era patriots from the Tamaqua area. Lighting will illuminate the park at night. Brian Connely, Tamaqua borough council president, said members of the Daughters of the American Revolution compiled names of Revolutionary War veterans for the Liberty Tree application. 'A lot of people worked together on it,' he said. 'It's definitely an honor.' ANNOUNCEMENT Joseph G. Martoccio, district director of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and America250PA, announced the awarding of Schuylkill County's Liberty Tree at a news conference in November 2024. 'These trees are not only a symbol of the past,' he said, 'but were planting them as a symbol of the future.' The news conference was attended by local, county and state officials. State Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, Rush Twp., suggested the restoration of the former Reading Railroad station in Tamaqua figured in the placement of the Liberty Tree. Built 150 years ago, it was a departure point for local troops serving in World War I and World War II. The U.S. Postal Service included the station in a First-Class Forever Stamp issue of historic railroad stations in 2023. State Rep. Jamie Barton, R-124, East Brunswick Twp., explained the history of the first Liberty Tree. An elm planted around 1646 in Boston Common, it was the gathering place of the Sons of Liberty and became a symbol of American resistance to British rule during the American Revolution. 'They gathered to fight for freedom and liberty,' Barton said, 'and the tree became a beacon of hope and a symbol of American freedom.' FUNDRAISER The Tamaqua Remembers Committee, an arm of the Tamaqua Community Partnership, has launched a capital campaign to underwrite the cost of the Liberty Tree Park. The committee has set a goal of raising $100,000 to pay for the development of the park and its outdoor space. There are several levels of donations, ranging from the Commonwealth level of $50,000 on down. For information on donations, which can be by check or online, contact the Tamaqua Community Partnership at 570-668-2770.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Centre County plants sapling from a Liberty Tree ahead of America's 250th birthday
As part of a statewide project ahead of America's 250th birthday next year, a sapling descended from a historic 'Liberty Tree' — a meeting place for American revolutionaries — was planted Saturday on the grounds of Centre Furnace Mansion during a formal ceremony. The tulip poplar will eventually grow to more than 70 feet tall, with leaves that turn a vibrant golden-yellow in the fall. But, for now, organizers hope guests visit the waist-high sapling in the State College area for the history it represents and the principles it embodies. 'The planting of the Liberty Tree is not just a celebration,' Centre County Historical Society executive director Mary Sorensen said, reading a statement from the Bellefonte chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 'It is a profound reminder of our nation's revolutionary beginnings from 250 years ago ... and serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of those who fought for our freedoms.' Before the United States was united, back in the 1760s when the country was still an English colony, American patriots like the Sons of Liberty met beneath a large elm along a main road in Boston. It was there, at this 'Liberty Tree,' the first major act of defiance against the British government took hold, when colonists opposed the Stamp Act by hanging an effigy of the appointed Stamp Act collector. The idea of a Liberty Tree, where the common man could meet to rally or discuss resistance, quickly spread to other areas — such as Annapolis, Maryland; Newport, Rhode Island; and Charleston, South Carolina. They became a symbol of the American Revolution, with Boston's iconic tree appearing in famous engravings from Paul Revere. One historian, John Higham, even later said the Liberty Tree should replace Uncle Sam as 'a compelling symbol of American identity.' And local speakers on Saturday afternoon alluded to that importance in front of about three dozen attendees. 'What better way to honor the Revolutionary principles upon which our nation was established than by planting these living, tangible connections to our country's roots?' asked John Segursky, a local leader with the Pennsylvania Freemasons. To celebrate America's upcoming 250th birthday, two main organizations — the Pennsylvania Freemasons and America250PA, the commonwealth's official commission for America's 250th birthday — partnered to plant a Liberty Tree of sorts in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Some neighboring counties have already held similar ceremonies: Blair County's Liberty Tree was planted at Altoona's Fort Roberdeau, and Clinton County's is located at Montoursville's Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy. Boston's famed Liberty Tree was destroyed by British forces in 1775 and turned into firewood. Charleston's was burned and destroyed five years later. Both were targeted because of their symbolic importance. But one of the original Liberty Trees in Annapolis, Maryland — also used in 1765 — was spared because the British never occupied the city. That 124-foot-long tulip poplar, planted around the same year (1599) William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre opened, was the last surviving colonial Liberty Tree until 1999, when it suffered irreparable damage from Hurricane Floyd. Centre County's sapling can trace its literal roots to that specific Liberty Tree. That tree in Annapolis grew on what is today the campus of St. John's College. Even a century ago, college officials there recognized the tree's importance. They created a clone of the tree in 1889 by planting a scion, or branch, grafted onto a young root system — and America250PA organizers believed Centre County's sapling was taken from that 1889 clone, which still stands on campus and shares identical DNA with the original. Annapolis' Liberty Tree does not boast the acclaim of Boston's, but it still shares a rich history. Two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Chase and William Paca, both held meetings beneath the tree. Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer who volunteered for George Washington's Continental Army, spoke there in 1824. And U.S. President Calvin Coolidge delivered remarks there in 1928. Centre County's Liberty Tree sapling is appropriately placed just outside the shadow of the property's 'Constitution Tree,' a large Sycamore certified to have lived there at the time of the signing of the Constitution. It's also about a football field away from the historical marker commemorating the birthplace of Penn State, within walking distance of the intersection at Porter Road and East College Avenue. 'I couldn't think of any better grounds within the county that is a central, pivotal location to recognize our ties to the history of the United States,' said Edward Stoddard, the county adviser to America250PA and the communications director for Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. 'This is the right spot.' More is planned locally — and statewide — for America's 250th birthday, or semiquincentennial. And more plans will be revealed as that birthday creeps closer. One signature statewide project that has already been revealed, besides the planting of Liberty Trees, involves replicas of the Liberty Bell. According to organizers at America250PA, the goal is to place a fiberglass Liberty Bell replica that's painted by local artists in each of the state's 67 counties. Some counties will have more than one; Centre County is expected to have several. Each bell will be 3 feet-by-3 feet, and the initiative is called 'Bells Across PA.' Artists will be paid a $1,250 honorarium, and all bells are required to be in place by the end of this year. Based on information shared by Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, more than 20 county stakeholders — from the American Philatelic Society to the Philipsburg Heritage Society — are also partnering to collaborate on a theme of 'Then & Now' to celebrate America's 250th. The aim is to show how Centre County has contributed to the nation's growth from 1776 until today. That means tours, exhibitions and workshops, in addition to other key focus areas that include community engagement and tourism development. For more information on how Pennsylvania plans to celebrate the semiquincentennial, go to or
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Rich and storied history': Liberty Tree planting connects Johnstown region to nation's 250th anniversary
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A sapling holding the nearly 250-year legacy of the United States in its roots and leaves has been planted in Johnstown. The tree that was planted Saturday at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy in the city's Hornerstown section is a graft from the last remaining Liberty Tree in the nation. The original Liberty Tree was a famous tree that stood near Boston Common in Boston in the years before the American Revolution. In 1765, patriots in Boston staged the first act of defiance against the British government and its Stamp Act tax policy. The tree became a central gathering place for protesters and a rallying point for the growing resistance to the rule of Britain over the American colonies. When the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, townspeople gathered at the Liberty Tree to celebrate, and it was subsequently pruned by order of the Sons of Liberty. Soon, colonists in other towns began naming their own liberty trees, and the Tree of Liberty became a symbol of the American Revolution. The Pennsylvania Freemasons, in partnership with the Pennsylvania commission for the United States' 250th anniversary next year, launched an effort to plant one descendant of a Liberty Tree in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. The tree planted in Johnstown is a descendant from the nation's last Liberty Tree, which stood in Annapolis, Maryland. Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy, 80 Hickory St., was the site selected for Cambria County's tree because four veterans of the Revolutionary War are buried there, said Nicki Waligora, Cambria County's appointed representative to the advisory committee of America250PA, Pennsylvania's commission for the United States' 250th anniversary. A couple dozen people, including state, county and local government officials, gathered around the small tulip poplar Saturday morning for a dedication ceremony. State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township, delivered opening remarks. 'There is a rich and storied history behind this Liberty Tree, and it's fitting that we are here at Sandyvale to dedicate it,' Langerholc said. 'As this tree will grow over time – good things take time – and as its roots establish a strong foundation and its leaves reach to heaven, it will withstand the storms that come and stand as a testament to the nation.' State Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township; Cambria County Commissioners Scott Hunt, Thomas Chernisky and Keith Rager; and Johnstown City Councilwoman Laura Huchel attended the ceremony, as well as Freemasons of Greater Johnstown Lodge No. 538. Rager, who is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said the moment was a powerful way to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. The little tree, Rager said, is a reminder that 'liberty must be defended.' The anniversary will officially begin July 4, 2026, with the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tree planting celebrates milestone anniversary
Apr. 25—LIMA — It is a term few may be familiar with now, but with 2026 drawing closer, Americans may be encountering the word "semiquincentennial" more frequently as it describes a 250th anniversary. With the United States preparing to celebrate that milestone, a ceremony Friday morning at Lima Stadium Park kicked off the festivities a little early. Friday's Heritage Trees ceremony was organized by America 250-Ohio, the commission tasked with organizing the state's commemorations of the nation's 250th anniversary. The Heritage Trees program involves the planting of a white oak tree as a living memorial to commemorate the anniversary. "Trees are living history, and there is a way to honor our history by planting a tree," America 250-Ohio commission member Leslie Wagner, a historian at Newark's Dawes Arboretum, said. "It's really showing the public that history and horticulture are not as siloed as people may think." The goal of the Heritage Trees project is to plant at least one commemorative white oak in each of Ohio's 88 counties by the end of 2026. Lima's ceremony, also sponsored by the Lima Cenovus Refinery, saw the first of these trees dedicated. "Although the 250th anniversary isn't until 2026, we are not waiting until then to get the party started," Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith, a member of the America 250-Ohio commission, said during her remarks. Native to Ohio, a white oak is a hardy tree resistant to disease and having an average lifespan of 200 to 300 years. Organizers are hoping that as this tree grows and flourishes, it will remind them of another historic tree. "We're thinking about the Liberty Tree that was so symbolic of the American Revolution, and so we wanted to do something a little more Ohio-style," America 250-Ohio Executive Director Todd Kleismit said. "We're thrilled to be kicking this off here today in Lima." The Liberty Tree in Boston became a symbol of the American Revolution as it was the site of meetings for those involved in the revolution as well as the site of numerous protests, including one against the British-imposed Stamp Act in 1765. For Ohio Speaker Matt Huffman, the site of the planting also prompted him to reflect on some of Lima's local history and the impact that motivated people can have, including the example of Leo Hawk, who purchased and donated the properties that became Lima Stadium Park in 2016. "Most great things that are happening, like what's happening here today, don't simply happen as the normal course of history," he said during his remarks. "It's because an individual or a small group of individuals decide, 'We have to do something.' That's how you get a great park like this." Other events the America 250-Ohio commission are planning include an Ohio Creativity Trail exploring various artistic styles in the state, an Air and Space Trail commemorating the state's aviation history, and "Ohio Goes to the Movies," a program that will include screenings of various films featuring Ohio-based talent. For more information on these and other projects, go to Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Warren city leaders plant heritage tree
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — America's semiquincentennial isn't until next year, but Trumbull County is kicking off its celebrations with something that'll take root and stand tall for future generations. County and city leaders joined others in planting a Heritage Tree behind City Hall Wednesday. The program is inspired by Boston's historic Liberty Tree during the Revolutionary War. Trumbull is among the first eight counties to receive a white oak tree under the America 250-Ohio initiative. The location for the white oak was picked based on the county's historic legacy. 'It represents the resilience of Trumbull County tourism, it represents the resilience of Ohio and we're excited to be able to under this 250 umbrella to be able to share our history and how it connects with national history,' said Beth Kotwis Carmichael with the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau. Throughout 2025 and 2026, a Heritage Tree will be planted in all 88 counties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
