Giant Nantucket Elm Receives "Liberty Tree" Designation

When the iconic American elm tree on Surfside Road in front of the Nantucket High School was first planted more than 170 years ago, Nantucket was still a whaling town, Wisconsin had just become a state, cars hadn’t been invented yet, and the island’s public high school had only been around for about a decade.

Today, it is still standing as one of the island’s oldest elms and Nantucket’s largest tree.

Sometimes referred to as "The Broccoli Tree," - nicknamed due to the fact its canopy resembles a giant head of broccoli - it will officially be named a Liberty Tree this summer as part of a nationwide celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

“This is one of the elms that was planted by the Coffin brothers who brought elm trees to Nantucket,” said town arborist Dale Gary, standing under the massive canopy of the tree on Thursday. “What makes it special, man, the storms that this tree has weathered. It is famously known as the Broccoli Tree, because it looks like a head of broccoli. Most people don't say 'the tree at the high school,' they say 'the broccoli tree,' and everyone knows which tree they’re talking about. This is one of the few 1848 American Elms still standing on Nantucket.”

The Liberty Tree program is named after the original Liberty Tree in Boston, Massachusetts, where some early revolutionaries met to plan the revolt against Britain. The tree, which was also an elm, was later cut down in an effort to demoralize the rebels. Now, the Sons of the American Revolution is honoring the country’s 250th anniversary with its Liberty Tree project, which is designating existing trees and planting new ones across the country as Liberty Trees.

Nantucket Tree Advisory Committee member Mary Longacre initiated the Liberty Tree proposal for the elm tree and presented it to the Select Board, which approved it on Wednesday. Longacre said a dedication ceremony will be scheduled with school and town officials this summer. 

During the dedication ceremony, a boulder will be placed near the tree with a plaque titled Liberty Tree, reading “dedicated on this date, July 4th, 2026, the Town of Nantucket, in commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence, hereby designated this American elm, planted in 1852, a Liberty Tree,” followed by “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from the Declaration of Independence.

“This is the perfect tree,” Select Board member Bob DeCosta said. “This tree is just like our country: it’s beaten and battered, but it’s still standing. I was standing there the other morning, and a box truck whacked the crap out of it, and it’s still there.”

Gary says that the tree was planted in 1848, not 1852. The Current could not independently verify the date that the tree was planted.

“This is the largest tree on Nantucket,” Gary said on Thursday as his crew measured its circumference at just under 17 feet. “That's pretty big. This is a special specimen. I mean, it has some issues, but all in all, it’s very healthy. I watch it every year, you can tell that it's healthy.”

According to Nantucket tree warden Dave Champoux, only one other community in Massachusetts so far has expressed interest in participating in the Liberty Tree program.

As part of the celebration, Nantucket will also plant new elm trees. The exact date of the ceremony commemorating the high school elm tree has yet to be decided. Champoux said the town manager, Select Board, and school officials will all participate.

Gary added that he likes to think about what Nantucket was like when the tree was planted so many years ago.

“There were no cars, there was no pavement, and it survived all this,” he said. “And the thing is, your kids won't ever see another tree like this again on Nantucket, even if they left and came back, they'll never see another tree like this on Nantucket. She’s a special, special tree.”