The Col. James Wood II Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution joined the Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards on May 2 to plant a Burr oak at Lions Community Park in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The tree was planted as part of a national SAR effort to plant Liberty Trees in every state in celebration of the nation’s semiquincentennial. A commemorative plaque is expected to be installed in August.
The Liberty Tree tradition dates back to colonial Boston, where a 100-year-old elm became a symbol of resistance to British rule. On Aug. 14, 1765, colonists protesting the Stamp Act gathered at the tree and hung an effigy of the local stamp tax collector in protest of taxation without representation.
The protesters later became known as the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston tree became a powerful symbol of colonial defiance. Other towns throughout the colonies soon designated their own Liberty Trees as gathering places for residents who supported Massachusetts’ opposition to British policies.
In August 1775, during the siege of Boston, British troops cut down the original Liberty Tree in a symbolic act against the growing rebellion.
Representing the Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards at the May 2 planting were Johnny Goodine, Linda Bartlett, Joan Grewe, Bill Grewe, Henry Pickard, Ron Perlik, John Cermack, and Nancy Sabella.
Representing the Sons of the American Revolution were Bryan Buck, Sean Carrigan, Dale Corey, Chip Daniel, Allan Phillips, and Marc Robinson.
Photos were provided courtesy of Michelle Phillips.
Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.
