“I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; and that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction, even although we should regret it.” ~ John Adams in a letter to his wife Abigail, July 3, 1776.

They planted themselves at Fair Haven Fields on Sunday for the sake of a symbolic dedication of the rooting of 250 years of strength and independence in one tree dubbed The Liberty Tree.

Call it the marker of a historic Borough Council meeting place of a revolutionary kind — a Liberty Hall around the tree. Officials, American Revolutionary War-outfitted NJ Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NJSSAR) men, two NJ Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), RFH graduates Fair Havenite Debbie Giffin Schluter and Rumsonite Leslie Moraller Clark, and friends of the borough beared the uncanny blustery chill in this spring day to stand on soldier-dressed ceremony, recount history and mark 250 years of America’s history with the tree that will grow and purposefully stand tall in the borough.

The tree, SSAR son Jake Rue (below) reminded, is symbolic of and honors a legacy of resistance, hope, unity and civic engagement. Such a tree served as a meeting spot for American colonists to foster communication, organize protests against British tyranny and rally its opposition troops in preparation for the American Revolutionary War.

The original Liberty Tree stood in Boston in 1765 and was draped with defiant effigies of the British and Stamp Act. When the Act was repealed in 1766, the tree became a beacon of freedom and celebration adorned with flags and lights.

Now, planting new Liberty Trees is a way to celebrate and remind all of the courage and strength of American ancestors who fought for the liberty shared by all.

This Fair Haven dedication was sponsored by the nonprofit Foundation of Fair Haven. The organization is hosting various America 250 celebrations and commemorations throughout the year. There was a cocktail party at the Molly Pitcher Inn on Friday and the next event slated is a dress-up tea party.

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde for R-FH Retro only

• Focus: Liberty Tree Takes Root in Fair Haven
• In Memoriam: Longtime Fair Havenite, Bill Mieth Jr., 83
• In Memoriam: Rumson-Raised Longtime Locust Resident, Sandy Halsey, 95
• Focus: Benched for River Time Warmth
• In Memoriam: Former Fair Haven Sunoco Gas Station Owner, Rick Duckworth, 74