Nantucket Finance Committee advances Liberty Tree elm designation ahead of July 4 deadline

NANTUCKET -- March 18, 2026, Nantucket Finance Committee advances plans to designate a historic high school elm as a Liberty Tree for the Revolution's 250th anniversary. At the March 18 meeting, member Mary Longacre presented the two-part project, designating the school's 1848 Henry Coffin elm and planting new elms along Liberty Street, and heard from Emily Murphy of the Nantucket Land Bank, who confirmed the Land Bank plans to plant trees at its North Liberty Street park as part of a restoration beginning this September, potentially incorporating the commemorative elms. A brass plaque of approximately 90 to 100 characters was quoted at roughly $900, with a total boulder-and-plaque installation estimated at $1,500 to $1,800 from vendor Bayless and Company, which requires at least a month of lead time once wording is finalized. The committee noted that Select Board, School Committee, and Conservation Commission approvals are all still needed before a hoped-for July 4 ceremony at the high school can be confirmed.