Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-04-19
THE LlSSRTY TREE.
II STANDS - the ca-scra OF ST. john,
CSl.S--e, Asan ae!is.

- STANDS e., the Ca..crs OF ST. Johns
Col:>-,,, Asaa a@lis.
In pager OF the Historic Trees OF
Americs" -. a.. tlwiee says:
"Ihe Washington elm Is more widely
KNOWN than aay historic tree ia Amer
lea, but IL must share with the Liberty
tree OF Annapolis tie honor OF playing
part il rocking the cradle of liberty.
The Liberty tree is a t.:lip tree G.ir;o-
deadfcn tu.ipfcfJl. so.aet.ne called tu-
lip poplar.
Tree ton sage that the people of
Annapolis uift il tie tyoc,sosome days
before tie Ecy0lc;cn 70 consult to-
gethcr and listen TO Samuel Chase In
bis ailS- Enmcas % king George. At
That tiipc as spread o. branches was
far tcroad SHy,A.ng known Of it by
this SvAeiGti,l:. "a IL G.so "a tradition
that ''..1E,,.,,i@a ANA f..fayctte ban-
quoted IL as Shade. TaSy certainly
were at G.t-sut times IL Annapolis
ahd were cnicstaiucd nj -. Ioha's col
iege. upon whose oals..l3 the tree
stacds.
"IhrcS-h tie EiaGaess % President
Thomas I'V.l OF St. la..a's collcSe the
writer is a6lc 10 quote i.oiH history
Of Annapolis the foliowicg &, ference to
the Liberty tree:
~ he earliest traditions lardpd down
to us Of Il" ispcTial Pc..ar Tree dat
adorns tie college CaMnUs is tSat Il
served as The caropy C;.do~ which the
cOiCaists and Indians r..,.V treat. Of
peace. rs history reeds caiy one
document of this kind signed here. this
treaty must have been the ore agreed
between the ColOuis;S ana the sturdy
SusquehannoCks i'm 1862.
The next public use of It. we ind
in "Eddics' Letters" was when tn, IN.
habitants asscEl5lvd under II to deter.
mine whether or rot persons who have
not joined the Association Of Patriots
should be driven out CT the COLONY. In
1879 General Lafayette was entertain
ed under it. and after that there were
frequent mentious In tue Mary;a.1
Gazette of Fourth Of July celebration.
taking place under its ample shade
About 1910 several youths ws;e
playing under this tree with that vc.
dangerous but frequent adjunct OF in.
yenile sport-Gunpowder. They haa
about two pounds OF it. Tsay Freed
L in the hollow of the t~ee. vh~re 4.
was iynited and exploded. se,iing :
20 the grand old tree. The citi:2os OF
Annapolis repaired in force Ter lis res
cue, the nremen bringing oft the CITY
fire engine and deluging tho tree with
water The boys eScaratie was 70
doubt greatly denounced. Lut the i,,.
veniles had done better than their dc
nhnciators thought or the Juveniles in.
tended. The tree had fs.le:. Into n
state of decay that threatened las life.
The next year IL put fo-tj its branches
with Its youth renewed Tie exp,o.
sion had destroyed the yr-rnls tla;
were gnawing away It's vita:s
How losg this monarch CT a prime
val forest has existed rome can tell
An octogcnarian tells ne he remero.
bers IL in 1912. 1t seemed as large
then "a now. II IN I6-2 II was of such
imposing growth that il was selected
as The scene of so important an event
as tic making OF treaty of peace by
the whites with their savage foes. may
we not infer Ii lived before Columbus
discovered America? On July II. 1851
il was % feet in circumference two
fect from the ground and stood about
100 feet high. One-thrtl OF the trunk
is gone and IS now bearded un. The
BODY OF the tree Is Il mere shell-a mar.
vel how It's life can he maintained
and thousands CT tulips bloom Gu its
branches In their ason."-Baitimore
Sun.