Historic Baltimore cemetery opens to public for dedication of Maryland Liberty Tree descendant

BALTIMORE — A rarely opened historic cemetery in Baltimore will welcome visitors Sunday for the dedication of a descendant of Maryland's Liberty Tree, marking the 250th year of American independence.

The young tulip poplar now stands inside Old St. Paul's Cemetery on West Redwood Street, surrounded by the graves of several prominent figures from Maryland's early history.

Among those buried there are Samuel Chase, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Col. John Eager Howard, who led the Maryland Line at the Battle of Cowpens and later served as governor of Maryland and a U.S. senator; and Lt. Col. George Armistead, who commanded Fort McHenry during the bombardment of Sept. 13-14, 1814.

The tree traces its roots to Maryland's original Liberty Tree, which stood on what is now the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis.

The Sons of Liberty gathered beneath the tree in the years leading up to the American Revolution. In September 1775, Annapolis residents named it their Liberty Tree.

It remained standing until 1999, when damage from Hurricane Floyd forced it to be taken down. A graft taken from the tree in the 19th century still grows in Annapolis.

Seedlings from that tree are now being planted around Maryland through the Maryland Liberty Tree Project as the country marks its 250th anniversary.

Sunday's ceremony will dedicate the new tree and a commemorative marker at Old St. Paul's Cemetery.

The gates open at noon, with the ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. The cemetery, which is normally closed to the public, will remain open afterward, giving visitors a rare chance to walk the historic grounds.

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