In 1662, King Charles II of England granted Connecticut a colonial charter, allowing a form of self-government. But 20 years later, King James II decided the colonies needed closer royal supervision. He annulled the charter and appointed new leaders. Sir Edmund Andros, the Governor of the Dominion of New England, traveled to Connecticut with a group of soldiers to take control of the colony and revoke its charter. The charter was laid on a table.
Legend has it that the candles suddenly went out.
In the ensuing confusion, Captain Joseph Wadsworth grabbed the charter, ran off and hid it in a large, hollow oak tree. Andros took control of the colony anyway, but the document was saved and served as Connecticut's constitution during and after the Revolutionary War. Many people consider the tree a symbol of the spirit of American independence and of the colonists' quest for freedom from an unjust government. The Charter Oak, which was toppled in a terrible storm in 1856, was thought to be between 800 and 1000 years old. Each year acorns are hand-picked from second generation Charter Oaks to produce these authentic offspring trees.