Liberty Tree poplar with historic roots to be dedicated at Historic Hanna's Town

Sep. 28—The seeds of an independent nation, planted during the Revolutionary War, are bearing new fruit at sites including Hempfield's Historic Hanna's Town, as the United States prepares to mark its 250th birthday.

The public is invited to the historic site at 809 Forbes Trail Road at 4:30 p.m. Sunday as officials dedicate a recently planted tulip poplar. The 5-foot sapling, with leaves turning to autumn yellow, is one of 67 Liberty Trees that are expected to be growing throughout Pennsylvania by 2026.

The trees were propagated from a graft of a now-vanished poplar in Annapolis, Md., that grew to 124 feet tall and 26 feet in circumference over an estimated 400 years before it was fatally damaged by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. It was the last known survivor among Liberty Trees that served as rallying points for revolutionary discourse and activism by Sons of Liberty groups across the original 13 colonies that became the United States.

The Pennsylvania Freemasons have committed to placing a new Liberty Tree with historic roots in each of the state's counties. It's an effort that's part of America250PA — a program to coordinate activities in the state with observance of the United States Semiquincentennial.

Officials with the Westmoreland Historical Society and Joshua Freeman of Greensburg, district deputy grand master of the Freemasons, came to the same conclusion: Hanna's Town, an historic county park, was the best spot to plant Westmoreland County's Liberty Tree.

"Hanna's Town was really the perfect choice," said Freeman, who noted it meets the requirements of being open to the public and having a link to the Revolutionary War.

Today's Hanna's Town is a recreation of an 18th century pioneering settlement that served as the area's first seat of justice when Westmoreland was formed as a county in 1773. The village also gave rise two years later to the Hanna's Town Resolves, a protest by local citizens against injustices of the British Parliament.

Later during the Revolutionary War, on July 13, 1782, the town was burnt by Native Americans and their British allies.

"There wasn't originally a Liberty Tree here, but we know people gathered here in Hanna's Tavern after the shots fired at Lexington and Concord to discuss what had happened," said Lisa Hays, executive director of the Westmoreland Historical Society. The society has its headquarters at Hanna's Town.

The Freemasons purchased the tulip poplar, at a cost of $1,000. The $2,000 fee to sponsor the planting at Hanna's Town was covered by the Westmoreland 250 committee that has organized the county's yearlong celebration of its milestone anniversary.

"We thought the tree was a nice tie between the county's 25oth anniversary this year and America's 25oth anniversary a few years from now," said Hays.

The poplar has been placed near the recreated fort at Hanna's Town, where it may grow into a source of shade for historical programming. With the potential addition of seating, "It could almost be an outdoor classroom," said Dawn Lamuth, who is one of the organizers of Westmoreland 250 activities and is involved in preliminary planning for the America250PA celebration.

Freeman was present when the Liberty Tree was planted at Hanna's Town.

"These trees provide a living, tangible connection to the past," he said. "Their ancestors witnessed some of the most formative events in the history of the nation."

Sunday's program will feature remarks by speakers and participation by the Independent Battalion Westmoreland County Pennsylvania, a local Revolutionary War-era military reenactment group.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, a similar program will be conducted to dedicate Fayette County's Liberty Tree, at Fort Necessity National Battlefield near Farmington.

In a 1754 battle at that site that helped usher in the French and Indian War, then-British officer George Washington ultimately surrendered the fort he'd ordered to be built. He did gain experience that served him well when he later joined the Revolutionary cause and led American forces to victory over their British foes.

"Fort Necessity has that association with Washington, who was the central figure of the Revolution," said Freeman.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .