Where did the Liberty Elm get its name?
The American Liberty elm was named after “The Liberty Tree”, Our Country’s First Symbol of Freedom. On the morning of August 14, 1765, the people of Boston awakened to discover two effigies suspended from an elm tree in protest of the hated Stamp Act. From that day forward, that elm became known as the “Liberty Tree”. For the next ten years, it stood in silent witness to countless meetings, speeches and celebrations, and often served as the rallying place for the Sons of Liberty. In August of 1775, as a last act of violence prior to their evacuation of Boston, British Soldiers cut it down because it bore the name “Liberty”.
