The Springfield Garden Club will join with the City of Springfield to plant an American Elm Tree as a new Liberty Tree on Arbor Day, Friday, April 24, 2026 at 1PM.

The planting is in honor of the once stately elm in Boston where citizens gathered in 1776 to protest a single tax. This protest became a movement and eventually a new nation.

The stately elm came to be known as The Liberty Tree, a symbol of resistance to tyranny and oppression. On Arbor Day 2026, as part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence of 1776, they will plant a new liberty tree as a re-commitment to liberty and justice for all.

The planting is scheduled for Arbor Day April 24, 2026, 1pm near the Senior Building, zoo parking lot, and the concession stand. Springfield Garden Club members will add to the festivities by dressing in period colonial costume.