Dedication of the "Liberty Tree"
CALDWELL AND S.A.R. TO DEDICATE "LIBERTY TREE" HONORING AMERICA250 AND REVOLUTIONARY MILITIA VETERANS
Ceremony will be held on the Caldwell Green featuring the reading of names of 24 Essex County Militia veterans laid to rest at the adjacent historic First Presbyterian Church cemetery
Saturday, October 17 2026, 1 p.m.
CALDWELL, NJ – In a joint effort to commemorate the ongoing 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, the Borough of Caldwell and the First Mountain Chapter of the New Jersey Society Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) will host a formal dedication ceremony for the planting of an American Elm "Liberty Tree" on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. The dedication ceremony will take place on the historic Caldwell Green, adjacent to the Carnegie Library (located at the southeast corner of Bloomfield and Roseland Avenues), directly across Roseland Avenue from the First Presbyterian Church in Caldwell.
The choice of location holds profound local and historical significance. The First Presbyterian Church's "Old Burying Ground" serves as the final resting place for 24 veterans of the Essex County Militia from the Caldwell area who served during the Revolutionary War. To honor their service and sacrifice, the ceremony will include a reading of the names of these 24 patriots, weaving Caldwell’s ancestors into the living monument of the Liberty Tree.
Participating in the reading of the names, will be Tom Olsen, a direct descendent of Caleb Pierson, one of the Revolutionary War veterans buried nearby.
In addition to the roll call of Revolutionary veterans, the dedication event will feature a presentation by the New Jersey Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard. Formal remarks and addresses will be delivered by Caldwell Mayor Garrett Jones and First Presbyterian Reverend Chris Houtz. (Speaker list subject to change).
The Original Liberty Tree:
The tradition of the Liberty Tree dates back to Boston in 1646, where an elm was planted that would grow to become a powerful rallying point for early colonial protests against British rule. By March 1765, the tree witnessed the colonists' mounting outrage over the Stamp Act, which placed direct taxes on colonial documents. In early 1766, John Adams met with the Sons of Liberty beneath its branches, advocating for peaceful petitions to voice colonial grievances. Although the British Army cut down Boston’s original Liberty Tree in 1775, its legacy endured; after the British evacuated in 1776, a liberty pole was raised in its place, and the site remained a center for patriotic assemblies. The tree's enduring symbolism inspired other colonies to establish their own Liberty Trees as living emblems of resistance and self-governance.
New Jersey’s Revolutionary Legacy
As part of the nationwide 250th Anniversary celebrations, local S.A.R. chapters across the United States are sponsoring hundreds of new Liberty Tree plantings. In New Jersey - frequently called the "crossroads of the American Revolution" - Caldwell's new American Elm will stand as the state's eleventh Liberty Tree planting. Caldwell joins an honorable roster of New Jersey municipalities participating in this historic preservation effort, including Somerset, Springfield, Westfield, Fair Haven, and Monmouth Beach.
Members of the community, local historians, veterans' organizations, and the press are warmly invited to attend this historic commemoration. Admission is free, and the ceremony will take place rain or shine.