Royalston To Dedicate Liberty Tree Memorial

Royalston To Dedicate Liberty Tree Memorial

ROYALSTON — A very special American Liberty Elm will put down roots on the Royalston Town Common on Thursday, June 25, at 9 a.m.

It was received as a grant from the Elm Research Institute of Keene, N.H., and will be a living, growing tribute to America’s freedom and founding. It is being planted this year, as Royalston celebrates its 250th anniversary.

The Elm Research Institute was established in 1967 with the purpose of saving the American elm from extinction. ERI sponsored genetic research that resulted in the American Liberty Elm, a purebred descendant of disease-resistant American elms. It is the only elm with a lifetime warranty against Dutch elm disease. Over 300,000 have been planted since 1984.

As early as 1646, colonists on these shores 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, British troops cut down the “Liberty Tree” in August 1775. Reflecting on that moment, the Marquis de Lafayette said, “The world should never forget the spot where once stood the Liberty Tree, so famous in your annals.” Thomas Paine memorialized the event in his poem “Liberty Tree,” which will be read at the Royalston dedication.

Along with the tree, Royalston is receiving a Liberty Tree Memorial plaque, with an inscription recounting this history.

The Liberty Tree Society, sponsored by ERI, is the promoter of the Liberty Tree Memorial project and has a four-fold mission: to fulfill the goal of Governor Endicott Peabody by establishing August 14 as Liberty Tree Day, not just in Massachusetts, but in all 50 states; to dedicate Liberty Tree Memorials in 1000 communities; to tell the story of the Liberty Tree in classrooms across the land; and to continue the “Re-Elming” of America by planting disease-resistant American Liberty Elms in public spaces nationwide.

For information about the American Liberty Elm or the Liberty Tree Memorial program, call 800-367-3567, visit www.elmresearch.org, or write to Elm Research Institute, 11 Kit Street, Keene, NH 03431.