Liberty Tree Memorial

The Liberty Tree Memorial in Fryeburg honors the American Liberty elm, a symbol of the American Revolution, and is located on Bradley Street near the American Legion Post. The memorial commemorates the American Liberty elm, named after Boston's Liberty Tree. On August 14, 1765, colonists hung two effigies from an elm in Boston to protest the Stamp Act, making the tree a symbol of resistance. Over the next decade, it became a gathering place for meetings, speeches, and celebrations, often serving as a rallying point for the Sons of Liberty. In August 1775, just before the British evacuation of Boston, soldiers cut the tree down because of its name, “Liberty.” The Elm Research Institute erected the memorial in Fryeburg and has distributed and promoted "American Liberty Elm" trees across the United States as living memorials to the original Boston Liberty Tree.