Free Mason Independence Lodge 76 plants its 3rd and final Liberty Tree in Kent County.
Independence Lodge 76 has planted a Liberty Tree in each county for America’s 250th anniversary. The final tree will be in the ground in Kent County’s Veterans Memorial Park by the end of the week.
The tree was donated by the Free Mason Independence Lodge 76 and a presentation commemorating the tree's history and significance was held in the Kent County Levy Court lobby Tuesday.
The original liberty tree was a large Elm tree in Boston that revolutionaries would gather under to plan and carry out their acts of rebellion against the British.
Ronald Ferraro, past grand master of the Freemasons of Delaware, says this program is a continuation of that tradition.
“When the British found out about that, they actually cut that tree down. Well once they cut that one down the other 13 colonies got together and they all planted their own liberty trees. And, again, that’s where that all came from. This tree -the last surviving [of the original] liberty trees came out of Maryland- is where this tree came from.” he said.
And Kent County at-large commissioner Terry Pepper says approving the tree planting was a “no brainer” for the commission.
“This is such a historical time, being the 250th anniversary of the country, so we wanted to do something special to celebrate that. So we figured, what better way to observe 250 years than to plant a tree that will hopefully last another 250 years.” he told DPM.
Pepper says at full maturity the tree can grow up to 100 feet and have branches up to 50 feet in length. The county’s groundskeepers and maintenance crews will look after the sapling and its commemorative plaque.
The Liberty Tree Project started in 2021 with the goal of planting 250 Liberty Trees across the United States and one in each state by 2026.
That’s where Pennsylvania Free Masons got their liberty tree saplings as they worked to plant a tree in each of that state's 67 counties. Ferraro says they had extras and donated them to Delaware’s Free Masons. He says they might’ve cost up to $1,000 each otherwise.
Ultimately, Ferraro says the lodge put up over $1,000 for plaques and other materials associated with the trees in each county.
