TEBBETTS, Mo. - In recognition of National 4-H Week, members of the Mighty Mokaners 4-H Club and Tebbetts Odd Fellows 596 are helping to preserve American history, while promoting healthy, balanced ecosystems.
They planted a "Liberty Tree" last week. President Rodney Garnett led a brief ceremony. The local effort, which is sponsored by Crader Distributing and local STIHL dealers in partnership with the Missouri 4-H Foundation, is part of a National 4-H Week celebration showcasing the
experiences 4-H offers young people, and highlighting the 4-H youth in our communities who work each day to make a positive impact on those around them.
"We appreciate the opportunity that Crader Distributing, the Missouri 4-H Foundation, and the Tebbetts Odd Fellows have provided for our 4-H youth to actively contribute to preserving history," Christal Huber, 4-H youth specialist, said. "A local master gardener and Odd Fellow, Ted Fry, was also on hand to provide an additional educational opportunity on tree planting."
The original Liberty Tree was a famous elm tree that stood near Boston Common during the American Revolution era. In 1765, the Sons of Liberty, a group of American colonists, staged the first act of defiance against British rule under the tree. This spawned the resistance that eventually led to the War for Independence.
During the war, several other towns designated their own "Liberty Trees" as support for the resistance spread throughout the colonies. These trees become symbols of American independence.
The last original Liberty Tree, a tulip poplar, stood on the grounds of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, until 1999 when it died during Hurricane Floyd. Prior to its death, 14 seedlings were successfully germinated from the tree through a project spearheaded by the nonprofit conservation organization American Forests. The seedlings were planted throughout the original 13 colonies.
In order to further preserve the legacy of the Liberty Trees, a bud-grafting program was launched, through which several bud-grafted trees were grown. Thanks to the generosity of Crader Distributing and local STIHL dealers, one of these bud-grafted trees was donated to the Cole County 4-H Foundation.
"These trees are clones of the last standing Liberty Tree, under which the Declaration of Independence was read and America was born," said Stan Crader, president of Crader Distributing. "The original Liberty survived for more than 400 years. Our desire is for these trees to survive for several generations as living symbols of liberty, citizenship and community service."