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.