West Windsor Township in Mercer County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

West Windsor Township Liberty Tree

Historical Society of West Windsor

1. West Windsor Township Liberty Tree Marker

Inscription. History of the Liberty Tree (source: Wikipedia) In 1765 the British government imposed a Stamp Act on the American colonies. It required all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. Because the Act applied to papers, newspapers, advertisements, and other publications and legal documents, it was viewed by the colonists as a means of censorship, or a "knowledge tax," on the rights of the colonists to write and read freely.

On 14 August 1765, a crowd gathered in Boston under a large elm tree at the corner of Essex Street and Washington Street, originally called Orange Street, to protest the hated Stamp Act. Patriots who later called themselves the Sons of Liberty had hung in effigy Andrew Oliver, the colonist chosen by King George III to impose the Stamp Act, in the branches of the tree. Up in the tree with the effigy hung a British cavalry jackboot. Grinning from inside the boot was a devil-like doll holding a scroll marked “Stamp Act.” It was the first public show of defiance against the Crown and spawned the resistance

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that led to the American Revolutionary War 10 years later. On 10 Sept., a sign saying "Tree of Liberty" was nailed to the trunk of the tree.

In the years leading up to the war, the British made the Liberty Tree an object of ridicule. British soldiers tarred and feathered a man named Thomas Ditson, and forced him to march in front of the tree. During the siege of Boston, a party of Loyalists led by Job Williams defiantly cut the tree down in an act of spite, knowing what it represented to the colonists, and used the tree for firewood. This act only further enraged the colonists.

As resistance to the British grew, flags bearing a representation of the Liberty Tree were flown to symbolize the unwavering spirit of liberty. These flags were later a common sight during the battles of the American Revolution.

The original Liberty trees were: Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island - Sycamore; Connecticut - White Oak; Georgia and Maryland - Tulip Poplar; Massachusetts - American Elm; New Hampshire - Paper Birch; New York - Eastern Pine; North Carolina - Black Oak; Pennsylvania - Black Locust; South Carolina - Live Oak; and Virginia

West Windsor Township Liberty Tree Benches and Marker image. Click for full size.

Historical Society of West Windsor, August 8, 2026

2. West Windsor Township Liberty Tree Benches and Marker

- Osage Orange.

West Windsor Liberty Tree This American Elm was named after "The Liberty Tree: Our Country's First Symbol of Freedom." On the morning of August 14, 1765, the people of Boston awakened to discover two effigies suspended from an elm tree in protest of the hated Stamp Act. From that day forward that elm became known as "The Liberty Tree." it stood in silent witness to countless meetings, speeches and celebrations, and became the rallying place for the Sons of Liberty. In August of 1775, as a last act of violence prior to their evacuation of Boston, British soldiers cut it down because it bore the name "Liberty."

The Liberty Tree gathering space & benches implemented as part of a Boy Scouts of America, Troop 40, Eagle Scout Service Project, led by Noah Wolfe

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is August 14, 1765.

Location. 40° 18.491′ N, 74° 37.016′ W. Marker is in West Windsor Township, New Jersey, in Mercer County. It is at the intersection of Princeton Hightstown

West Windsor Township Liberty Tree image. Click for full size.

Historical Society of West Windsor, August 8, 2026

3. West Windsor Township Liberty Tree

Road (County Route 571) and Clarksville Road (County Route 638), on the right when traveling north on Princeton Hightstown Road. Located in the Ronald R. Rogers Arboretum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Princeton Junction NJ 08550, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Jersey

and in Greater Princeton.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: John & Alicia Nash (approx. 0.3 miles away); Raggedy Ann & Andy Farm (approx. 0.4 miles away); Berrien City Historic Neighborhood (approx. half a mile away); Grovers Mill Historic Community (approx. 0.7 miles away); Martian Landing Site (approx. 0.7 miles away); Trolley Line Trail Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); You'll Do Lobelia (approx. 1.7 miles away); Burial site of "Elsie" (approx.

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1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Windsor Township.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2026, by Historical Society of West Windsor of West Widsor, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 17, 2026, by Historical Society of West Windsor of West Widsor, New Jersey. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.