CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA HENDERSON
LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Commission hosted a Liberty Tree dedication on Thursday, July 2, outside the Lee County Justice Center as part of Alabama’s commemoration of America’s semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Lee County was one of 52 Alabama counties selected to receive a Liberty Tree through the statewide initiative. Each participating county received a 6- to 8-foot Princeton elm and a commemorative bronze plaque recognizing the historic milestone.
The trees were grown at Green Valley Farms in Montevallo, and the plaques were designed by Shelby County artist Nelson Grice and forged at the Shelby County Arts Council in Columbiana.
The Princeton elm is a fast-growing shade tree known for its adaptability to a variety of growing conditions. It typically reaches a mature height of 50 to 70 feet with a spread of 30 to 50 feet. A cultivar of the American elm, the Princeton elm is recognized for its resistance to Dutch elm disease. Its dark green foliage turns bright yellow in the fall.
Princeton elms have been planted at several locations in the Washington, D.C., area, including two at the White House by Former president Joe Biden and Former first lady Jill Biden on Oct. 24, 2022, and Dec. 23, 2024, continuing the tradition of U.S. presidents planting commemorative trees that dates to 1893.
According to the Alabama USA Semiquincentennial Commission (A250AL): “The Liberty Tree itself holds a special place in American history. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, a stately elm near the Boston Common became a gathering place for colonists protesting British rule. When loyalists cut down the original Liberty Tree in August 1775 in an attempt to silence the movement, patriots across the thirteen colonies responded by designating new Liberty Trees as symbols of resistance and unity.”
Today, the site of the original Liberty Tree in Boston is marked by a commemorative plaque above Liberty Tree Plaza.
