The Fascinating Story Behind Connecticut’s Famous Charter Oak

According to the State of Connecticut, one of the most famous stories in Connecticut history involves a giant oak tree, a royal document and a very uncomfortable situation involving the British government.

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The story goes back to 1662, when King Charles II granted Connecticut a Royal Charter that gave the colony a remarkable amount of control over its own government. Connecticut operated under that charter for about 25 years, until King James II decided he wanted more control over the New England colonies.

In 1687, James sent Sir Edmund Andros to Hartford to take possession of Connecticut’s charter. Andros met with colonial leaders and demanded the document. According to the famous Connecticut legend, the charter was sitting on a table during the meeting when the candles suddenly went out. When the lights came back on, the charter was gone.

The legend says Captain Joseph Wadsworth had spirited the document away and hidden it inside a massive white oak tree on the Wyllys estate. That tree eventually became known as the Charter Oak.

Now, here is where Connecticut history gets interesting: historians acknowledge that the famous hiding story is a legend, and there is no solid historical evidence proving that the charter was actually hidden inside the tree. The story nevertheless became one of Connecticut’s defining political legends and a symbol of the colony’s resistance to outside control.

The Charter Oak eventually met its end during a powerful storm on August 21, 1856. Connecticut residents mourned the tree and saved pieces of its wood, which were turned into everything from furniture to other historical objects.

Today, the Charter Oak remains Connecticut’s official state tree and its image even appeared on the Connecticut quarter. Not bad for a tree that may or may not have been hiding one of the most important documents in Connecticut history.