The Daughters of the American Revolution announced plans in 2017 to plant 76 semiquincentennial commemorative trees in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.
The number 76 connects the project to the year 1776, when the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. The trees were intended as a lasting public memorial tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Independence National Historical Park contains sites central to the founding era, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Planting the trees there linked a future anniversary program with the physical landscape of the American Revolution.
The project was supported by a $380,000 grant from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The trees were planned to be planted over several years leading up to the semiquincentennial rather than all on one anniversary day.