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Connecticut Quarters Present “The Charter Oak”The Connecticut quarters bear a striking image of the venerable white oak tree that, since the colonial era, has been called The Charter Oak.The CharterA royal charter was a grant of rights and duties given by the monarch to someone, or a group, toward some common purpose, for example, the establishment and maintenance of a colony – like Connecticut.Charles II of England granted such a charter to Connecticut in 1662. All went well for a quarter century, but then James II, seeking greater control of all the English colonies in New England, decided to replace the original charters with a single charter for all. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1687, the King’s representative, Edmund Andros, arrived in the settlement at Hartford to collect the original charter from the Connecticut colonists. This arrangement did not sit well with the locals, however, in view of the King’s threat, in the event of non-compliance, to divide the lands of the colony among its competitors in Massachusetts and New York, the charter was brought to a meeting with Andros at Butler’s Tavern. The OakThe negotiation was well underway when suddenly all of the candles illuminating the room were extinguished. In the darkness and ensuing chaos Captain James Wadsworth found himself in possession of the charter. Wadsworth made a hasty exit from the tavern, heading for the welcoming branches of a huge and ancient white oak, well known by the townspeople. Finding a cavity in the enormous trunk of the tree, Wadsworth deposited the charter therein.Whether or not this act was directly responsible for saving the Connecticut status quo is a matter of conjecture. It is fair to say that the negotiations were derailed for the time being until a more agreeable resolution was achieved. As for the tree, it became known as The Charter Oak from that time forward. The Charter Oak depicted on the Connecticut quarters survived until it was uprooted by a hurricane in 1856. Acorns were saved and planted, ensuring descendent trees, many of which are alive today. The Connecticut State Quarter is the fifth coin in the 50 State Quarter series, as Connecticut was the fifth state to adopt the US Constitution. The year 1788 appears on the coin to memorialize this event.
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