Why Charter Oak?

The Charter Oak was a white oak that sprouted during the 11th or 12th century CE on the banks of the Connecticut River.  Prior to the colonization of the Connecticut River Valley by European settlers, it was a meeting place for the Native American tribes of the area.  The legend says that it was originally planted as token of peace by a great sachem and that the Native Americans of the central valley region planted their corn when the tree’s leaves first opened in the spring.

In 1614, during a voyage up the Connecticut River, a Dutch explorer, Adrian Block, commented on the impressive size of the enormous oak tree, but when the English settled the area in the 1630’s the tree was due to be cleared to make way for farmland.  The Native Americans living in the area at the time begged the settlers not to cut down the tree and the owner of the property, Samuel Wyllys, left the tree standing as part of his garden.

The Charter Oak became a central character during a particularly difficult period in Connecticut’s colonial history.  Due to a long standing friendship between the English monarchy and the family of the emissary sent to England to secure Connecticut’s colonial charter, the colonists in Connecticut had one of the most liberal charters granted in colonial America.  However, when the monarchy changed, so did the rules.  Under James II, there was an attempt to consolidate the colonies under more centralized rule and a single charter.  In order to accomplish this consolidation, the crown requested the surrender of Connecticut’s original Charter, threatening to exterminate the colony if it did not comply.

The leaders of the colony did not surrender their Charter, which brought the wrath of the crown down upon them in the form of Sir Edmund Andros.  He arrived with seventy soldiers in October of 1687 to take the Charter by force.  He met with the leaders of the colony in a tavern in Hartford and accused them of treason for withholding the Charter.  Threatened with dire consequences for their treasonous act, the leaders of the colony had the Charter brought to the tavern and prepared to hand it over to Andros.  In the argument that ensued between different factions within the colonial leadership, the candelabras lighting the room were knocked over and the room thrown into darkness.  A colonist grabbed the Charter in the dark and passed it out the window to another man, who ran with the Charter to the nearby Wyllys house hoping to hide it.  Believing that the soldiers would search the house for the missing Charter, the box with the Charter nestled inside it was placed into a hollow at the bottom of the ancient oak tree in the garden.

The crown never recovered the Charter, but took over the colony and punished its inhabitants for their insubordination all the same.  It was not until the monarchy changed hands once more that the Charter was removed from the protection of the old oak.

The Charter Oak lived for 170 years as a monument to the courage of the colonists, until it was knocked over in a storm during the fall of 1856.  The citizens of Hartford mourned the loss of the tree and the acorns of the Oak were gathered up and planted around the state in remembrance of its service to our ancestors. 

So why “Charter Oak”? 

The Charter Oak stood for peace and stood against tyranny and aggression. 

It guarded the hopes of a nascent colony until such time as they could come to fruition and evolve into the freedoms that we enjoy today, including the freedom to practice our faith.

It was a mighty spirit of nature who embodied many of the virtues that we ourselves endeavor to achieve and as such deserves our respect and devotion.

We call ourselves Charter Oak Grove in recognition of and reverence for this noble tree.

(Historical account derived from Legendary Connecticut by David E. Philips and the State of Connecticut website at www.ct.gov)

The Charter Oak is the state tree of Connecticut, despite having perished in a storm on August 21, 1856.