By Marlee Jackson

When Green Valley Farms in Montevallo grew 68 extra Princeton elms last year, the Byrd family wasn’t just potting and pruning a fast-growing, disease-resistant tree.

They were playing a special part in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.  

“I was at work one day when Michael Bass from the American Village called and asked, ‘Hey, would you grow us some trees?’” remembered Lance Byrd. “I asked, ‘What tree do you want me to grow?’”

“We grow Princeton elms anyway, so I bought extra stock and put them in the size container they wanted. Being so close to the American Village just kind of made it a natural fit. It’s about serving them and helping the community.”

Those Princeton elms are now developing deep roots in Alabama counties as Liberty Trees, a project of America 250 Alabama. The 68th tree is planted on the grounds of the American Village in Montevallo, a sprawling educational facility dotted with replica buildings and costumed historical interpreters who focus on Founding Era history.

It’s also Alabama’s Celebration Capitol for the U.S. semiquincentennial. (The tongue-twisting Latin term simply means “250.”)

Natalie Steed is executive officer of America 250 Alabama. She said the committee intended the elms to pay homage to the sprawling canopies under which Founding Fathers hailed ideas of liberty leading up to the American Revolution.

“We picked the Liberty Tree for our Legacy Project because Liberty Trees represented community back in colonial times,” Steed said. “It’s a place where people gathered. They talked about news, they debated ideas, and they celebrated together. Our hope is this is going to be a living monument for future generations to continue to come and gather at these trees and discuss our shared history.”

Earlier this year, county commissions requested their respective elms at America250AL.org. Steed’s team worked with the Alabama Sheriff’s Association to deliver the elms during Arbor Week in February — a purposeful melding of industries and organizations.

“One of our goals at America 250 Alabama is to make sure we provide resources and find ways for everybody to participate,” Steed said. “Green Valley has been a phenomenal partner in this whole initiative, and we couldn’t have done it without them.”

Each elm was accompanied by a special bronze plaque. Poured at The Foundry in Shelby County and designed by artist Nelson Grice, the plaques commemorate the 250th anniversary of when the Declaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1776.

Steed said while the Princeton elms are not descendants of the original Liberty Trees, they were chosen for heat tolerance, disease resistance and propensity for quick growth. Byrd said the tree limbs could grow 3 to 4 feet a year and will eventually display the elm’s hallmark peeling bark.

“This tree is pretty forgiving,” said Byrd, who chairs the Alabama Farmers Federation State Greenhouse, Nursery & Sod Committee. “As long as they plant them correctly and keep enough moisture in the ground, these trees will take right off and flourish.”

It’s an honor to play a small part in honoring American independence, Byrd added.

“A lot of people don’t sit down enough to think about what the previous generations have done for them,” Byrd said. “The forefathers who founded the country, they were very insightful in the ways that they did it. It affects all of us today.”

Learn more about America 250 Alabama at America250AL.org.