<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=320Fd1_0vjt042400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=320Fd1_0vjt042400" width="1200" height="700" ><figcaption>Warren County America250PA liaison Joe McClellan and District Deputy Grandmaster for Masonic District 56 Ryan Knopf plant Warren County's Liberty Tree at General Joseph Park on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. Photo by Brian Hagberg.</figcaption></figure>WARREN, Pa. – Warren County’s roots have always been tied to the nation’s birth. Now, there’s a physical tie . . . and one that will grow its own roots in Warren County. On Tuesday, America250PA Warren County liaison Joe McClellan and District Deputy Grandmaster for Masonic District 56 Ryan Knopf planted a Liberty Tree in General Joseph Warren Park. It’s part of America250PA’s initiative to plant one Liberty Tree in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.“All those years ago when the sons of the revolution met under these trees to discuss being under British rule, it’ll be interesting to see one of these trees grow here that’s genetically tied to that original tree,” Knopf said.According to America250PA’s website, each of the Liberty Trees being planted is from “seeds from a scion of the original tree are being collected, grown into seedlings, and planted across the Commonwealth.”“During the American Revolutionary War, the Sons of Liberty often convened under the nation’s original Liberty Tree in Boston, to discuss their opposition to British rule in the colonies,” America250PA said on its website. “This historic tree became a beacon of hope to colonists and a symbol of American freedom. In an attempt to stymie these colonists, the British destroyed Boston’s Liberty Tree. Suddenly, patriots throughout the 13 colonies began to designate new Liberty Trees. The last known original Liberty Tree sat on the campus of Saint John’s University in Maryland until it was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.”An official ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at 1 p.m. Former mayor and current Warren City Councilman Maurice Cashman is scheduled to give remarks about Warren’s history and its ties to General Joseph Warren. The event is free and open to the public.The Liberty Tree plantings are part of America250PA’s leadup to the United States’ 250th birthday celebration in 2026.“What they’re doing is they have innovation challenges for students that are statewide,” McClellan said. “They have a young heroes program for students that are statewide. They inspire. They call these Pennsylvania days, where you’re supposed to go out and volunteer for food banks and other such organizations, and then events like this, where you’re hoping to involve the whole community, to kind of celebrate not only that, America is a great place to live, but Pennsylvania has such a key role in the founding of the country.“And of course, all the way from Penn’s Woods up to the high-tech industry that some parts of Pennsylvania see right now. Not only do we have a rich past, but are hoping to lead the way into America’s future. So if people go to america250pa.org, all their signature programs like these and others are mentioned.”McClellan said he thinks America250PA is exactly what the country needs right now.“The organization is really coming around at a time that is really beneficial to the country that sometimes feels divided because it’s a bipartisan organization,” McClellan said. “Its mission is to include every single Pennsylvanian, so regardless of where they’re from or the backgrounds or anything.”</div></body>

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Liberty Tree Planted in Warren County, Official Ceremony to be Held on Saturday

WARREN, Pa. – Warren County’s roots have always been tied to the nation’s birth. Now, there’s a physical tie . . . and one that will grow its own roots in Warren County. On Tuesday, America250PA Warren County liaison Joe McClellan and District Deputy Grandmaster for...