Liberty Tree Memorial in Livingston

Livingston was already leafy, but last week it got a little greener when a ceremonial 14 foot by 17 foot tall disease-resistant American Liberty Elm was planted just outside the library.  The tree isn't an ordinary tree, either.  It's a Liberty Tree Memorial, and the planting was made possible through a gift by a grant through Elm Research Institute.

So what is a Liberty Tree Memorial?

As early as 1646, the colonists celebrated the planting of shade trees. Their favorite was the American elm, native to their new country. Boston's famous Liberty Tree was planted in 1646, about 25 years after the landing at Plymouth Rock. By the time of the Revolution, it was over 100 feet tall and had become popular as the rallying point for protests against George III and a meeting place for the "Sons of Liberty." In an act of revenge, the British troops cut down the "Liberty Tree" in August of 1775. Reflecting on that moment, General Lafayette said, "The world should never forget the spot where once stood the Liberty Tree, so famous in your annals."

Elm Research Institute (ERI), located in Keene, New Hampshire, is a nonprofit organization that sponsors and promots the Liberty Tree Memorial project. To date, 412 towns have partnered with local youth oriented organizations to commemorate this first symbol of freedom.  Livingston was recently designated a recipient and the tree here is among 1,000 Liberty Tree Memorials that will be dedicated in 2010.

To qualify for the Liberty Tree Memorial project, a town or school must agree to establish the Liberty Tree Memorial in a prominent location and hold a public event at which time the Thomas Paine poem 'Liberty Tree" is read.

Livingston's planting, which took place a week ago as part of a Crossroads of the American Revolution event,  honored the memory of former Livingston resident Helen C. Fenske,  a renowned environmentalist and activist activist.

A commemorative bronze Liberty Tree plaque will soon planted at the tree, which will tell the story of our country's freedom.