The Daughters of the American Revolution funded 76 commemorative trees for Philadelphia’s America250 plans.
In 2017, the organization announced a $380,000 grant to the city of Philadelphia. The money supported the planting of 76 semiquincentennial trees at Independence National Historical Park, a historically significant area containing Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and other sites connected with the founding era.
The project linked living landscape features with the anniversary’s historical theme. Trees can serve as long-term memorials because they grow and remain visible well beyond a single ceremony. The plantings were carried out over several years leading up to the 250th anniversary rather than all being installed on one day.
The number 76 refers to the year 1776, not the number 250. That makes it a commemorative reference to the Declaration’s year. Philadelphia was a natural focus for the project because the Second Continental Congress met there and the Declaration was adopted in the city.