The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-23
Charter Oak Was T Blown Down 55
 Years Ago Sunday
But Descendants of the Tree Still Flourish and its History
 Never Dies
(Hartford Times.)

Fifty-five years ago, Sunday, a summer storm that swept over the city laid low the Charter Oak. Old residents recall that it was storm similar in it's furious descent to that of last week. It came up unexpect- edly, and it's duration was brief. When it had subsided, the news spread over the community, and citizens gathered to discuss it's portents, as five years later they gathered to discuss the firing upon Sumter.
 There was significance in the pass ing of the famous tree, as there was significance in the discharge of artil- lery upon the flag of the republic for the first time by an organized native foe Haunting the standard of rebal- lion. But the significance of Fort Sumter was of the events to come; the significance of the Charter Oak tree was of the past.
 Having woven itself indelibly ana for all time into the spirit of freedom
 and having stood for upwards of two centuries as solid material bulwark
 of the liberties of the people of the
 colony and of the state, the veteran bowed to the force of the storm and
 sank forward on it's side. while it's branches still pointed high in pro-
 test to this strange indignity, as tn.
 flag of the maimed battle ship re-
 mains aloft, the last vestige Of the
 wreck as it sinks protesting beneath
 the waves.
 The trunk of the Charter Oak. as
 every schoolboy knows, concealed the from October 31, 1887, to November g, 16s9 What schooIboy does not ] recall the glow of pride that pervad- ed him when first in his history prim CT he read of the attempt of the ty- rant. Sir Edmond Andross, to wrest the charter from the people? How, when the general court was assembled at the inn to meet Governor Andross the lights were suddenly extinguished and under cover of darkness Captain | Joseph Wadsworth carried away the | charter and hid it in the hollow ol l the Charter Oak. What rage on the | part of the dark-browed tyrant, what | joy on the count tenances of the patriots | the schoolboy pictured.
 Gallant Captain WadSworthi
 Noble Charter Oak!
 | handsome monument now marks | the spot where stood the Charter OaH | and served we'll the people, for two l centuries and more. The charter thai | it guarded reposes in the state library 1 The inspiration that it has propagat' l ed pervades the hemisphere.
 The story of the tree and the hiding l of the charter has been told in every 1 language. The charter, as the chron l icler has well depicted, was th' | grain of mustard seed, planted il l Hartford, April P, 1862, that sprans | up. grew and bore fruit, in the Rev | oiution. by expanding into a larg' and liberty-loving nation of town' l and states The mode of governmen | in the charter secured by Governo
 John Winthrop from Charles IT., k1nt
 of England, kept the fires of libert! | smouldering till the time was ripe fo i their bursting into flames never U be ouenched. On April 23, 1912, thu 1 charter will be 250 years old.
 | From 1t has sprung many charter | guaranteeing liberties to many nation l and from acorns from the historic oai have grown other oaks which vii | serve for many generations yet t | come. to keep illustrated in the nina l of Hartford people the story of tn l Charter Oak. One of these trees 1 ] located in Bushnell park, in the tr1 | angular spot near the Trumbell stree bridge: one on the park nearly oppo site No. 93 Elm street; one in tn ward of No. Collins street; one Il
 inc yard of No. 82 Allyn street, ant
 one in Armsmere, just south of tn Colt house on Wethersfeld avenue. The seed, of the Charter Oak tre
 and the story it tells will never die